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Eaton, Burrell lead Phillies past Reds

Jun 4, 2008 - 5:25 AM By Vince DiGregorio PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Adam Eaton gave the Philadelphia Phillies his best start of the season.

Eaton retired 19 of the 22 batters he faced and Pat Burrell hit a two-run home run as the Phillies defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2, on Tuesday.

The righthander went 6 2/3 innings and allowed one run on only three hits. He struck out five and did not walk a batter. It was the first game this season where he did not issue a walk.

"I got a lot of outs early with my changeup and then later in the game (with) cutters and fastballs," Eaton said. "My stuff was probably the best I've had."

Eaton (2-3) won his second straight game after going winless in his first 10 starts. It was his third consecutive quality start and seventh overall this season.

"I'm way more confident than I was in my first game of the year," Eaton said. "I feel like I can make a pitch when I need to and that's huge. Obviously, mechanics have a huge part of that."

With the score tied 1-1 in the sixth inning, Chase Utley led off with a double to left-center off Reds starter Aaron Harang. After Ryan Howard struck out, Burrell blasted a 2-2 pitch deep into the left field seats for his 14th home run to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead.

"(The pitch) was a slider or a curveball," Burrell said. "I was just looking to put something in play. We had a guy in scoring position, so in that situation, I was just trying to get a hit."

Philadelphia had a chance to break the game open in the seventh when they had runners on second and third and nobody out. However, lefthander Danny Herrera, making his major-league debut, came on for Harang and retired the side.

"We had opportunities to score more runs," Burrell said. "That's something we can always work on, but to be able to pull these games out like this is huge. You can only take away good things from one-run games."

The Phillies bullpen nearly wasted Eaton's effort as Tom Gordon gave up a leadoff triple to Edwin Encarnacion to start the eighth and a sacrifice fly to pinch-hitter Javier Valentin that pulled the Reds within 3-2.

Gordon walked pinch-hitter Ken Griffey Jr., who was looking for home run No. 600, then retired the next two batters to end the inning.

"We didn't want (Griffey) to hit (a home run)," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "The excitement was there, the way (the fans) were hollering. That's good for the game, but we definitely don't want him to tie the game right there."

In the ninth, closer Brad Lidge walked two and gave up a single around a doubleplay grounder before getting Encarnacion on a flyout for his 15th save in as many chances.

Eaton retired the first six batters of the game before Encarnacion led off the third inning with a line drive home run into the left field seats to give the Reds a 1-0 lead.

Philadelphia responded in the bottom half on a two-out, RBI single by Utley. Utley shattered his bat on the first pitch, but managed to line it to center to plate Jimmy Rollins and tie the game, 1-1.

The Phillies had a chance to score in the fifth inning when they had a runner on third and two outs, but Ryan Freel made a diving catch on Shane Victorino's low liner to end the frame. Freel would leave the game in the sixth after straining his right hamstring running out of the batter's box.

"(Freel) said he heard something pop," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "Usually, (that injury occurs when) you're running first to third or something awkward (happens). It's real tough. That was just bad luck right there."

Harang (2-8) went six-plus innings and allowed three runs on nine hits.

"We're not scoring runs for (Harang)," Baker said. "He made one mistake really to Pat (Burrell) and then he lost it."