Reds Rout, Phils Fall

Larry Bowa didn't want to watch the scoreboard. He turned to it for comfort.

Ken Griffey Jr. had three hits and two RBIs, and Joey Hamilton pitched five shutout innings, leading the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night. The Phillies dropped a game behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East. Atlanta beat Florida 5-2 in 11 innings. Once the Reds took a 6-0 lead in the sixth, Bowa found himself peeking at the Atlanta's score a lot more than he'd like.

"I don't watch the scoreboard when it's 2-0," Bowa said. "When the score is 8-1, I find myself looking up."

Hamilton (1-1) allowed two hits and won for the first time since beating the Phillies 4-2 on July 14 when he pitched for Toronto.

David Coggin (5-6) allowed four runs and four hits in five innings.

"Didn't he get released by Toronto?" Bowa said of Hamilton, who was let go by the Blue Jays on Aug. 3 after compiling a 5-8 record with a 5.89 ERA. "Maybe he just throws good against us."

Griffey, who had four hits in his last 26 at-bats, was 3-for-4, missing the cycle by a triple. He also scored three runs.

"I was 0-for-9 here last year so I was just glad I got hit," Griffey said.

The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI groundout by Dmitri Young. Adam Dunn walked with one out, moved all the way to third on an infield single to third by Griffey and scored on Young's bouncer.

Griffey made it 2-0 in the fourth with his 21st homer _ his first against the Phillies. He now has hit a homer against every team except the two he has played for _ Seattle and Cincinnati.

Coggin left after Griffey walked and Young singled to start the sixth. The Reds then scored four times off relievers Dennis Cook and Cliff Politte to make it 6-0.

Pinch-hitter Brady Clark hit an RBI double, Corky Miller added a sacrifice fly and pinch-hitter D.T. Cromer and Todd Walker had RBI singles.

"We score a lot in the sixth and seventh innings," Coggin said. "It took momentum out after I gave up the two runs in the sixth."

Bobby Abreu hit his 28th homer off Jose Rijo in the sixth for Philadelphia's only run.

Griffey and Sean Casey had RBI doubles in the seventh.

"We don't get any satisfaction by beating somebody and knocking them out," reds manager Bob Boone said. "We're not interested in being spoilers. We're playing for us."

In July, Hamilton allowed one run in 5 1-3 innings and drove in the go-ahead run with a double in his victory over the Phillies.

"He's a big-league pitcher, good enough to stay in the league," Phillies first baseman Travis Lee said. "He moved his fastball, kept us off-balance. He's a veteran-type pitcher."

Notes:
It was the first meeting between the two teams this season. They play five more games over the final 11. ... Phillies reliever Turk Wendell will have an MRI exam on his right elbow Wednesday. He hasn't pitched since last Tuesday because of acute tendinitis in the elbow. ... Miller snapped an 0-for-11 with a double in the fifth inning. ... Rijo hadn't allowed a run in his four previous outings. ... Casey's double snapped an 0-for-19 slump. ... Reds SS Juan Castro left the game with a mild sprain of his left knee. Adam Walker moved from 2B to play short for the first time in his career. ... Only 14,863 fans came out to see the Phillies at Veterans Stadium.

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News