CINCINNATI – Juan Cruz gave Cincinnati fits with his cut fastball a night after Arizona teammate Brandon Webb baffled the Reds with his sinker.
Cruz, relying more and more on a pitch he just started using in February, scattered four hits over six shutout innings last night to lead the Diamondbacks to a 7-0 win over the slumping Reds. Cruz (2-3) followed Webb's complete-game 3-0 win in Friday's series opener by striking out five and walking two to earn his first win in his last four starts.
“Obviously, we're pitching very well,” said Arizona manager Bob Melvin, whose team leads the NL West by 1½ games. “All of his pitches he located for strikes. When he's locating his fastball, he becomes unpredictable.”
And he's beginning to trust his newest pitch.
“I threw a lot of cutters the last three innings,” Cruz said. “I can control it. I don't throw strikes with it every time, but I have confidence in it.”
Orlando Hudson, in his first season with Arizona after four with Toronto, had three hits as the Diamondbacks earned their seventh win in their last eight games.
His three-run home run in the eighth inning sealed the victory, which left the Diamondbacks (29-19) 10 games over .500 for the first time since they were 54-44 on July 20, 2003.
“That's not my type of game,” Hudson said. “As a team, we swung the bats well against a tough pitcher. My job is to get on base and let the other guys drive me in.”
Cruz had been 0-3 since beating Chicago 6-0 on May 4, including a 2-1 loss to Atlanta in his previous start on May 21 in which he allowed just two hits and two runs in six innings.
“I feel great,” said Cruz, who opened the season with seven relief appearances before becoming a starter. “With this team, it's important every game. They're giving me an opportunity to (start).”
Luis Vizcaino, Brandon Lyon and Jorge Julio combined for three innings of shutout relief to extend the Reds' streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 21 over the last three games. Cincinnati is a combined 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position in the first two games of the series.
It's the first time Cincinnati has been shut out in consecutive games since Sept. 23-24, 2003.
| Arizona |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
BB |
SO |
Avg. |
|
| Counsell ss |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
.310 |
|
| Byrnes cf |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
.322 |
|
| Tracy 3b |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
.293 |
|
| LGonzalez lf |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.283 |
|
| ShGreen rf |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
.331 |
|
| TClark 1b |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
.161 |
|
| OHudson 2b |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
.244 |
|
| CSnyder c |
4 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
.250 |
|
| JuCruz p |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
|
| a-Easley ph |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.246 |
|
| c-CJackson ph |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
.289 |
|
| Julio p |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
|
| Totals |
36 |
7 |
10 |
7 |
3 |
9 |
|
|
| Cincinnati |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
BB |
SO |
Avg. |
|
| FLopez ss |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.295 |
|
| BPhillips 2b |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.303 |
|
| Griffey Jr. cf |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.245 |
|
| Belisle p |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
|
| Dunn lf |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
.235 |
|
| Aurilia 3b |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
.263 |
|
| Hatteberg 1b |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.293 |
|
| Kearns rf |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
.293 |
|
| LaRue c |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
.206 |
|
| Harang p |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.240 |
|
| b-EEncrncn ph |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.263 |
|
| Freel cf |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.240 |
|
| Totals |
30 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
|
|
| Arizona |
000 111 130– 7 |
10 |
0 |
|
| Cincinnati |
000 000 000– 0 |
5 |
2 |
|
| |
a-sacrificed for Cruz in the 7th. b-struck out for Harang in the 7th. c-walked for Vizcaino in the 8th.
E–Dunn (6), LaRue (2). LOB–Arizona 6, Cincinnati 7. 2B–Counsell (6), LGonzalez (16). HR–OHudson (1), off Mercker. RBIs– Counsell (17), Byrnes (18), ShGreen (18), OHudson 3 (12), CSnyder (11). SB–Counsell (5), Byrnes (5). CS–Hatteberg (1). S–Easley. GIDP–FLopez.
|
| Arizona |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
NP |
ERA |
|
| JuCruz W, 2-3 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
95 |
4.76 |
|
| LVizcaino |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
18 |
2.96 |
|
| Lyon |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
3.32 |
|
| Julio |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
14 |
4.84 |
|
| Cincinnati |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
NP |
ERA |
|
| Harang L, 5-4 |
7 |
8 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
8 |
103 |
3.70 |
|
| Mercker |
1 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
25 |
6.23 |
|
| Belisle |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
10 |
3.86 |
|
| |
HBP–by JuCruz (BPhillips).
Umpires–Home, Charlie Reliford; First, Larry Vanover; Second, Greg Gibson; Third, Paul Nauert.
T–2:46. A (Tickets sold)–36,884 (42,271).
