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Livingston, Keppinger lift Reds over Padres

Aug 12, 2007 - 12:08 AM CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Class AAA Louisville graduates Bobby Livingston and Jeff Keppinger took the San Diego Padres to school on Saturday.

Livingston pitched well into the ninth inning and Keppinger highlighted a four-run seventh inning as the Cincinnati Reds posted an 8-3 victory over the Padres.

Livingston (3-2), who is in his third stint with the Reds this season, scattered four hits over 8 1/3 innings. The 24-year-old surrendered three runs, on two home runs by Brian Giles, including a two-run shot in the ninth which ended Livingston's bid for his first career complete game.

The Reds bullpen was worn after a pair of 11-inning losses. Livingston's performance gave his teammates a restful day.

"I was trying to get him a complete game but he go a little tired," Cincinnati manager Pete Mackanin said. "After the fifth inning I asked for one more inning. With every inning, I got happier and happier."

"I was in the tunnel (before the ninth) and told myself to go finish it," Livingston said. "That's why I didn't want to walk Giles."

The lefthander didn't walk a batter and struck out two, needing just 84 pitches to navigate the first eight innings.

"I used my changeup effectively," Livingston said. "I threw inside when I had to and used offspeed pitches when I was behind in the count. I got a lot of ground balls. It kept them off-balance."

"We hit a lot of balls hard early in the game," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "We kept hitting ground balls to the left side. As the game went on his sinker got better."

Cincinnati broke open a 1-1 game in the seventh with some two-out hitting. After Scott Hatteberg led off the frame with a double off San Diego reliever Justin Hampson (2-3) and the next two hitters were retired, Hampson intentionally walked Brandon Phillips to face fellow lefthander Adam Dunn. However, Dunn walked to load the bases and Keppinger followed with a two-run single to right.

Keppinger has hits in 16 of his 20 games since the All-Star break and is hitting .366 with 19 RBI.

"What can you say about Keppinger?" Mackanin said. "He continues to get big hits."

After Javier Valentin walked to reload the bases, Mike Thompson entered and Adrian Gonzalez greeted him with a two-run double to left that increased the lead to 5-1.

The Reds added three more runs in the eighth due to some shoddy defense by second baseman Marcus Giles, who couldn't handle Adam Dunn's ground ball, allowing two runs to score. Valentin later singled, scoring Ken Griffey Jr. to cap off the scoring.

Keppinger snapped a scoreless tie with an RBI double in the sixth off Padres starter Justin Germano, who allowed a run and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

The double followed an intentional walk to Dunn.

"It seems like they're doing that a lot lately," Keppinger said. "The best time to hit is when there are men on base. There are a lot of holes. Germano doubled up on me. He threw me the same pitch twice, the changeup."

"We liked the matchup with Germano against Keppinger, better than Germano against Dunn," Black said.

Keppinger, who was leading the International League with a .368 average when the Reds recalled him on July 7, delivered.

"I don't know anything about him," Germano said. "I threw him a change up and if he made an out it wouldn't have been a big deal but he was able to stay on it. Overall, I'm pleased with the way I pitched. I kept us in the game. You can't be too disappointed with that."

"He deserved a better fate," Black said of Germano, who started twice for the Reds in 2006.

Giles tied the game with his first homer of the game in the seventh.