Griffey's 603rd homer ends Reds' 4-3 win

[July 01, 2008]  CINCINNATI (AP) -- Ken Griffey Jr. hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday night, rallying the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 603rd home run of his career.

Griffey connected off Matt Capps (1-3), who started the ninth with a 3-2 lead but couldn't get an out. David Ross opened with a double, and Griffey -- who got into the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth -- hit the second pitch he saw into the seats in right-center.

Francisco Cordero (3-1) escaped a bases-loaded threat in the ninth, helping the Reds get the better of a matchup between the NL Central's bottom two teams.

When he saw he was out of the starting lineup, Griffey playfully asked Darren Baker -- son of manager Dusty -- why he was out of the lineup. The 9-year-old responded, "You can't hit lefties, and you're old!"

He showed he still has a little left in his 38-year-old body.

Adam LaRoche hit a sacrifice fly and a two-run homer off Aaron Harang, helping the Pirates take a 3-2 lead into the ninth. LaRoche hit the sacrifice fly in the second, and broke a 1-all tie in the sixth inning with his eighth homer.

Left-hander Paul Maholm held the Reds to a pair of runs and five hits in seven innings. Jerry Hairston Jr. hit a solo homer, and Jay Bruce drove in a run by hitting into a forceout.

Griffey, who got some rest with the left-hander starting, sent the right-handed Capps to his fourth blown save in 21 chances.

With little at stake in the standings, the Pirates used the series opener to experiment with the batting order. For the first time since 1957, their starting pitcher batted somewhere other than last.

Maholm moved up to eighth and shortstop Jack Wilson batted ninth, making the Pirates the third NL Central team to try the unorthodox move this season. St. Louis and Milwaukee also have batted their pitchers eighth.

Manager John Russell's move didn't have much effect. The bottom three batters in the order were a combined 2-for-10 and failed to score or drive in a run.

The Pirates also had to make one unplanned lineup move. Leadoff hitter Nate McLouth was a late scratch because of a sore left knee.

For Cincinnati's lineup, it was the same old story. The Reds have struggled to hit with runners in scoring position for most of the season, and did it again against on Monday, going 0-for-8 before Griffey homered.

They got runners to second and third with no outs in the first, but failed to score. They also loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but managed only one run on Bruce's forceout grounder. The first two batters in the eighth reached against Marte, who retired the next three.

Notes: Russell tentatively plans to start RH John Van Benschoten on Wednesday. ... The Pirates hadn't batted their starting pitcher higher than ninth since April 18, 1957, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... OF Jason Bay extended his hitting streak to eight games. ... OF Jason Michael struck out four times. ... In his first eight games, Bruce batted .552 with three homers and seven RBIs. In his last 24 games, he's batting .194 with one homer and eight RBIs.

[Associated Press; By JOE KAY]

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