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Reds rally past Brewers in 10th

Apr 20, 2008 - 10:09 PM By Doug Tift PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Ken Griffey Jr. singled in the winning run with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning Sunday, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Milwaukee had scored twice in the top of the 10th to take a 3-1 lead.

However, the Reds rallied as Edwin Encarnacion and Paul Bako hit back-to-back homers off Eric Gagne (1-1) in the bottom of inning.

Griffey's hit off Salomon Torres won it for Cincinnati, which avoided a three-game sweep. Griffey joked that he did not think his hit would get past right fielder Corey Hart.

"After it bounced, that's when you know it's a game-winner," Griffey said.

"We needed that one so badly. Big time," Reds manager Dusty Baker said of his team which had lost six of their last seven games before Sunday's victory.

Encarnacion's second homer of the game came after he had committed an error in the top of the 10th, leading to a Milwaukee run.

"I knew when they got two runs that I would be leading off and I just wanted to get on base and see if anybody could hit a homer and tie the game," Encarnacion said.

Baker was happy to see his young third baseman redeem himself.

"I'm happy for him because this guy, he bleeds internally (when he makes mistakes)," Baker said. "But he came through big for us today."

Gagne, who has battled elbow problems in the past, was pitching for the fourth straight day.

Prior to the wild 10th inning, it was the pitchers' who dominated for the most part.

Reds ace Aaron Harang went eight innings, allowing one run and four hits. The righthander struck out eight without a walk.

"I was able to go out there are throw strikes and keep the ball down," Harang said. "I battled through a couple of situations when I got in trouble made. Made some key outs, struck some guys out and those were key situations for us."

Returning from a knee injury that landed him on the disabled list to start the season, Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo worked seven strong innings, giving up one run and four hits. The 22-year-old righthander walked thre and struck out four.

After J.J. Hardy hit his first homer of the season to lead off the fourth, the Reds tied the contest in the fifth on blast from Encarnacion. It was Encarnacion's third multi-homer game of his career.

An inning earlier, the Reds nearly tied the game but Adam Dunn was thrown out at the plate following a double by Jeff Keppinger.

Despite struggling in the 10th when he uncorked a wild pitch to score a run and surrendered an RBI single to Hardy, Jared Burton (1-1) picked up the win.