Jason LaRue's grand slam home run off a visibly upset Brian Boehringer capped a five-run Cincinnati eighth inning that carried the Reds to a 7-5 victory against the Pirates last night at PNC Park.
Boehringer's ire seemed to be taken out against Manager Lloyd McClendon when he came to the mound to replace the reliever moments after LaRue's slam.
And Boehringer appeared to direct more angry comments at McClendon when he left the dugout for the clubhouse before the inning ended.
Boehringer, a right-hander who had a similar heated confrontation May 24 with shortstop Jack Wilson, appeared to be upset with McClendon's decision to have him walk left-handed batter Reggie Taylor with runners on second and third just before LaRue, a right-hander, homered.
Was that what upset him?
"I was mad at myself for letting up the home run," Boehringer said. "It was a key point in the ballgame. I felt I lost the ballgame. I'm going to go home, have a beer and get it out of my system."
McClendon chatted with Boehringer after the game but wouldn't divulge the upshot of their talk.
"It's a long season," McClendon said. "If you think it's all going to be hugs and kisses, you're wrong. We're fine.
"I think this team appreciates Boehringer's competitiveness. I think they're glad he's on our side. He's a competitor. He wants to win. He was pretty upset with the whole situation. He's been outstanding for us. That goes to show he's only human. I'm proud of the way he's performed for us. I can't imagine where we'd be without him."
But was Boehringer yelling at McClendon?
"He's a competitor," McClendon said. "He's a little different. A lot of times, I don't know who he's screaming at."
The Pirates led, 2-1, entering the eighth, but Boehringer immediately put himself in a spot. He walked Aaron Boone on five pitches, then walked Adam Dunn on four pitches.
He regrouped and struck out Austin Kearns, but Russell Branyan flared a ground-rule double just inside the left-field line that tied the score.
"He made a good pitch to Branyan," McClendon said. "The ball fell in. It happens. It was their night."
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Lloyd McClendon takes out Brian Boehringer after he gives up Jason LaRue's grand slam. (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette) | |
"I felt I still had a chance to help the team win a ballgame," Boehringer said.
Boehringer did strike out pinch-hitter Barry Larkin and that led to the walk of Taylor, the home run and the flare-up.
Undeterred by the Reds grabbing a 6-2 lead, the Pirates came off the mat with two outs in their half of the eighth and scored three runs.
Infield singles by Aramis Ramirez and Rob Mackowiak put runners on first and second. Kevin Young singled in Ramirez. Scott Sullivan hit pinch-hitter Craig Wilson with a 2-2 pitch.
Danny Graves relieved, and Pokey Reese singled through the middle to cut the Reds' lead to 6-5 and send Wilson to third.
Then the Pirates came this close to tying the score. Chad Hermansen lifted a pop fly into short left field that seemed about to fall for a single, but Branyan made a diving catch.
"That's baseball," McClendon said. "The guy made a hell of a play. I think it's well established these guys are not going to quit."
Cincinnati added an insurance run in the ninth off Mike Lincoln on three consecutive two-out singles by Kearns, Branyan and Larkin. Right fielder Craig Wilson's throw to the plate on Larkin's single was in time to get Kearns, but he eluded Jason Kendall's tag.
The loss made the Pirates' mission against St. Louis this weekend even more difficult. It seems they almost have to sweep the three games if they're to convince themselves and their fans that they can climb solidly into the race.
The Pirates might have caught a break because they'll miss Cardinals starters Jason Simontacchi and Matt Morris this weekend.
"I hadn't thought about it," McClendon said yesterday afternoon. "We're not good enough to look ahead. I guess we'll find out when we get to them."
"We try to take it one game at a time," Brian Giles said, "but it's hard not to look at this whole homestand. This is a big homestand. The Reds were here. The Cardinals are here. Two teams that are ahead of us.
"I don't think it's [the end of] the season if we don't [sweep]. Then again, maybe it is imperative we do because we're playing well now."
The loss last night dropped the Pirates to 6-2 since the All-Star break and left them 9 1/2 games behind St. Louis.
Cincinnati, 4-4 since the All-Star break and 3 1/2 games behind the Cardinals, took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, a laborious exercise for starter Kip Wells.
Kearns opened with an incredibly high chop off the plate that Jack Wilson fielded near second base. Kearns easily beat Wilson's throw to first.
Branyan singled Kearns to second. After Brandon Larson looked at a third strike on a 3-2 pitch, Taylor lined a 2-0 pitch into center field for a run-scoring single.
That placed runners on first and third, but Wells seemed out of danger when he struck out LaRue for the second out.
But pitcher Jimmy Haynes drove a ball into deep center field. Adam Hyzdu raced back and made a great running catch a stride before he banged into the wall.
The Pirates had a good opportunity to take the lead in their half of the second after a one-out walk to Young. Hyzdu lined a single into right-center field. When Taylor's strong throw to third was just a bit late to get Young, Hyzdu hustled his way into second.
Hyzdu, along with Hermansen and Mackowiak, is in the triumvirate McClendon currently is using in center field.
"Hopefully, somebody will get hot and take over out there and provide a spark," McClendon said. "It hasn't happened yet."
And it didn't happen for the Pirates in the second inning, either.
Reese lined a ball that would have zipped into the left-field corner for a two-run double except that it was right at Larson, who caught it and stepped on third for an inning-ending double play.
Wells brushed aside two Cincinnati hits in the third inning, then got himself in more trouble in the fifth.
With one out, he walked Todd Walker and Boone. He went 3-0 on Dunn. But just when it seemed the Reds would break open the game, Dunn swung at the 3-0 pitch and grounded to Reese, who began a double play.
In the bottom of the inning, Hyzdu led off with a check-swing single down the third-base line. Reese flied to left on a 3-2 pitch. Abraham Nunez, batting for Wells, bounced into a fielder's choice.
Nunez advanced to second on a passed ball before Kendall walked. Jack Wilson, hitting .400 in his past 20 games, delivered again, driving a two-run double into right-center field.
Giles drew an intentional walk, but Ramirez tapped in front of the plate for the third out.
That left the game up to the Pirates' bullpen.
Sean Lowe worked a perfect sixth, getting three ground-ball outs. He got two more ground-ball outs in the seventh around hitting LaRue with a pitch. LaRue advanced to second on the second of those ground balls.
Scott Sauerbeck relieved Lowe and retired Walker on a ground ball to first to end the seventh.
The eighth wasn't so pretty, though.
While the Reds remain within striking distance of St. Louis, the Pirates have some work to do to get in that position.
Interestingly, the Reds and Pirates are almost mirror images of each other. They're tied for 10th in fielding percentage and rank sixth and seventh in team earned run average.
But Cincinnati has scored 51 more runs than the Pirates.
"Offensively, the Reds really swung the bats just outstanding early in the year," McClendon said. "They pitched well and caught the ball. They're a fine team. There's a lot of talent over there."
It seems the Pirates might have the stronger starting rotation, however.
"Our pitchers aren't household names," Cincinnati Manager Bob Boone said, "but they aren't chopped liver, either."
"I don't worry about the other team," McClendon said. "I like my rotation as it sits right now."
So, what, that rotation could change?
"Everything changes," McClendon said.
Including, last night, the Pirates' fortunes in the eighth inning.
LaRue's late slam finishes Boehringer, Pirates in 8th 
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