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Griffey moves closer to history as Astros rout Reds

Apr 24, 2008 - 3:50 AM CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Ken Griffey Jr. inched closer to baseball immortality. That was about the only thing that went right for the Cincinnati Reds.

Griffey hit career home run No. 597, but Hunter Pence and Kaz Matsui each drove in a pair of runs to lead the Houston Astros to a 9-3 triumph over the Reds on Wednesday.

The 38-year-old Griffey moved closer to becoming just the sixth player to record 600 career home runs, drilling a 2-0 fastball from Astros starter Chris Sampson in the first inning into the right-center field seats for a 1-0 lead.

But after Griffey's blast, it was all downhill for the Reds. Carlos Lee, Lance Berkman, Mark Loretta and Miguel Tejada all drove in runs for Houston, which sent 11 batters to the plate during a seven-run fourth inning.

The Astros have scored 36 runs during their season-high four-game winning streak.

"We had another outstanding offensive performance tonight with a lot of big two-out base hits," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said.

"There are times of the season when you are cold, sometimes when you are hot and you just try and ride the good times as long as possible," said Darin Erstad, who had three hits.

Sampson (1-2) was given a huge lead with which to work and made it stand. The righthander allowed two runs and eight hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out six.

Sampson recovered from his last time out when he allowed six runs in just two-thirds of an inning in an 11-5 loss to Colorado on Friday.

"It was good to bounce back from the last game," Sampson said. "Those games happen sometimes, but it is important just to come back strong and correct the mistakes that you made last game. It makes it a lot easier pitching with a big lead like that. It allows me to just go out and relax. Just go compete and throw strikes. Let my defense do they work for me."

Houston battered struggling Cincinnati starter Bronson Arroyo (0-3).

Pence's RBI double in the second inning tied the game at 1-1, and Loretta put the Astros ahead for good with a run-scoring single. Arroyo then unraveled in the fourth.

The key hit of the huge frame was a two-out, two-run single to right by Matsui. Tejada and Berkman each contributed RBI singles and Lee doubled home a run before reliever Mike Lincoln's throwing error on Pence's run-scoring infield hit also allowed Lee to score for a 9-1 cushion.

"All of the runs were with two outs," Cooper said. "As a matter of fact I was keeping notes and I put down, 'One two-out base hit, two two-out base hits.' I kept changing my number and I got all the way to seven."

Arroyo, who has lost nine straight starts in April dating to last season, was charged with eight runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings.

"I'm just getting beat. There is nothing else to say," Arroyo said.

"The ball just wasn't coming out tonight," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "He would set up guys for an inside fastball and it wasn't coming out with the velocity."

Corey Patterson had an RBI double and Edwin Encarnacion homered for the Reds, who have lost nine of 12 and fired general manager Wayne Krivsky earlier Wednesday.