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Arroyo, Reds squeak by Astros

Aug 27, 2008 - 3:59 AM By Andrew Ferraro PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

HOUSTON (Ticker) -- In what became an unlikely pitchers' duel between teams going nowhere, the Cincinnati Reds got the big hit they needed in the eighth inning to beat the Houston Astros, 2-1, on Tuesday.

After Bronson Arroyo and Wandy Rodriguez matched each other for seven innings, rookie catcher Ryan Hanigan -- the Reds' No. 8 hitter -- hit a game-winning, solo homer in the eighth off Houston reliever Geoff Geary (2-3).

The Reds improved to 3-4 on their nine-game road trip, beating the Astros for the second time in 10 meetings. Cincinnati, however, is 2-2 at Minute Maid Park and will play five more games in Houston to close out the season series.

Arroyo (12-10), who entered the game 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA against Houston in three starts, pitched his first complete game of the season. He allowed five hits in notching the sixth complete game of his career.

It was the Reds' first complete game of the season.

"Oh, we were all aware of it all right," Arroyo said, referring to the team having no complete games. "We've gotten close a few times, only to get taken out. But tonight, I got a lot of help from the defense and was able to keep my pitch count down.

The tall righthander has pitched well lately, allowing two earned runs or less in four of his last five starts, going 3-1 over that span.

"We talked about the ninth before I went out there and I thought as long as I could get through it without giving up a hit, we'd be okay. (Lance) Berkman always seems to beat me, especially in this park, but I kept pounding him inside and luckily on the last play he hit it to the deepest part of the park."

Rodriguez left after seven innings, allowing one earned run on three hits. The lefthander walked one and struck out a career-high 10. The 29-year-old struck out nine on two previous occasions, last turning the trick on June 28 against the Texas Rangers.

He allowed two hits in the fourth, when the Reds scored their first run, and another hit in his last inning, where he struck out the side. Rodriguez fell to 3-3 all-time against the Reds, 1-2 against his NL Central rivals in 2008.

"I made a small adjustment with where I hold my glove before I pitch," Rodriguez said. "And tonight, every pitch I threw was better. My fastball was good, breaking ball and curve ? they were all better. I was just really comfortable out there tonight."

The Reds got on the board first in the fourth when Chris Dickerson led off with a single and moved to third on a double by Jeff Keppinger. Brandon Phillips got Dickerson home on a groundout to first one batter later.

"That is what we needed right there," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "We got the big hit when we needed it tonight and Bronson took care of the rest. We have been going to the 'pen a lot lately and I told (Arroyo) before the game that I might have to use him longer than usual."

The Astros tied the game in the fifth, when Mark Loretta led off with a single and later scored on an RBI groundout by Brad Ausmus. Houston had the tying run on second in the eighth, but Arroyo got pinch-hitter Geoff Blum to pop out to second before Joey Votta robbed Darin Erstad of a game-tying hit at first base one batter later.

That set up Hanigan's heroics, although the winning run was controversial, for a moment.

The ball glanced off the facade in left center, just above the yellow line designating a home run. Michael Bourn played the ball as if it were still in play, but the umpires determined it was a home run.

Astros manager Cecil Cooper went out to argue, but replays, which Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday will be introduced to review home run calls starting Thursday, showed the right call was made. Geary agreed.

"We've had a whole lot of talk lately about replays and videos, and the first thing I did was go see where that ball landed and it was over the line. Home run," Geary said. "I just threw a bad pitch and he hit it well. He hit it good and unfortunately we don't have any wind here to blow it back in the park. Ever."

"I am just glad they called it a homer," Hanigan said. "I wasn't even thinking about it at the time, I just hit the ball and started running as hard as I could.

"I never saw where it landed."