• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Bailey notches win as Reds triumph over Giants

Sep 21, 2007 - 6:34 AM By Ryan Leong PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- In a meaningless September game between two teams playing only for pride, the Cincinnati Reds defeated the San Francisco Giants, 4-2, on Thursday night.

Rookie Homer Bailey (3-2) pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing a run and three hits in his first start for the Reds since July 7.

The bullpen preserved the win for Bailey, as three relievers bridged the gap to closer David Weathers, who pitched a perfect ninth to pick up his 32nd save of the season.

Bailey has split time between the major league club, Class AAA Louisville and Class A Sarasota this season. He missed over a month with a strained right groin while in Louisville before being sent to Sarasota, where he made two prior to joining the Reds earlier Thursday.

"I would like to end the year on a good note, and this is a good way to start it," said Bailey, who pitched in a simulated game last Saturday at the club's minor league complex in Sarasota. "It's a lot different. You don't have the adrenalin, you don't have the fans and you don't have the guys around you. It's a lot different, but not being in a game for as long as I was, you're just trying to make sure you feel OK."

The last time Bailey won a game also occurred in the Bay Area during interleague play, when Cincinnati beat the Athletics, 5-2, at Oakland on June 19.

"It's a little chilly, but that said, we got the win. That's all that matters," Bailey said. "Just to make it back up and to be with the guys again and start things off right. It's the end of the season, so just to finish it off on a good note, and luckily, I had a lot of help behind me tonight."

With injuries to Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr., there was no matchup of two legendary home run sluggers. Bonds is the all-time leader with 762 blasts, while Griffey has 593, good for sixth place.

Bonds has been out since Saturday with a sprained big toe on his right foot and is expected to miss five to seven more days. Griffey is done for the season after straining his groin on Wednesday night against the Chicago Cubs.

"I don't know what's going to happen," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said about Bonds playing in this final homestand. "I know the fans want to see Barry and Barry wants to get out there for the fans.

"He wants to play, you could tell. He was out there in the dugout, he's getting a little bored not playing. I think he's anxious to get healthy. He wants to get back on the field and play baseball. We'll wait and see what happens, but it's important, regardless, that Barry gets out there and plays."

The Giants were the victim of a questionable call in the top of the fifth inning. Buck Coats led off the frame with a walk and was erased at second on a forceout after a failed sacrifice attempt by Bailey.

Bailey advanced to second on a single to center by Norris Hopper. While Jeff Keppinger was at the plate, Giants starter Matt Cain threw a pitch in the dirt, allowing both runners to move up 90 feet.

Catcher Guillermo Rodriguez quickly retrieved the ball and fired it to third base, but umpire Sam Holbrook called Bailey safe. Replays showed the throw was in time and Pedro Feliz had blocked the bag, making a swipe tag before Bailey's right leg reached the base.

"He was out... We looked at it and I just thought he was clearly out," Cain said.

The Reds took advantage as Keppinger singled up the middle. The ball deflected off second baseman Eugenio Velez, who was moving to his left, giving Cincinnati a 2-0 lead.

Cain (7-16) allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings. The righthander walked two and struck out four in dropping his third straight decision.

"I got in good situations where I got in 0-2 counts and I wasted pitches and wasted pitches instead of going ahead and getting guys out," said Cain, who threw 113 pitches - 71 for strikes. "I can think of probably four times where I went 0-2 to 3-2, and that's just wasting four or five pitches. It cost me an inning or two to get deeper into the game."

In the seventh, pinch hitter Jason Ellison - a former Giant - homered to left on the first pitch from reliever Dan Giese.

"It felt pretty good to come in here, and obviously, there is a little more adrenalin when you're facing your old team, so it was nice to do something," said Ellison, who was 1-for-20 since being claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners on August 8. "I get to play, finally, which will be nice. I just think it's been lack of opportunity because I've had three starts in a month and a half since I've been here."

Cincinnati added another run in the eighth.

Steve Kline got two outs but allowed hits to the next two batters as Javier Valentin doubled to left and Coats singled to center, putting runners at the corners. After a pitching change, Tyler Walker gave up a broken-bat double to left by Jorge Cantu that plated Valentin.

The Giants scored single runs in the first and seventh. In the bottom of the first, Velez singled to center and stole second before scoring on Nate Schierholtz's two-out single to left-center.

From there, Bailey was sharp, retiring 15 in a row. That streak was broken when Randy Winn doubled to left with two outs in the sixth.

Reds manager Pete Mackanin pulled Bailey for reliever Bill Bray, who retired pinch hitter Rich Aurilia to end the inning.

"I was very happy with what I saw tonight, and I'm sure (Bailey) came out of it with a positive attitude, and it bodes well for the rest of the season," Mackanin said. "It's like any other pitcher - if you have command of your stuff and you have the kind of stuff that Homer Bailey has, you're going to be successful."

Marcus McBeth pitched the seventh for Cincinnati, allowing back-to-back doubles by Feliz and Kevin Frandsen as San Francisco drew within 3-2.

The Giants (67-86), who fell 19 games under .500, have lost eight of their last 10 games.

"You're hoping to finish strong, and we're not doing it," Bochy said. "Matt pitched well enough to win a game again, and we've got to get the bats going here. The kids are getting out there, but we were quiet today with them. It's frustrating. Everybody is at home getting beat like this and we let another one get away from us."