Jay Bruce figured bunting for a base hit might shake him out of a slump. Six innings later, a fly ball worked much better.
Bruce drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 602nd home run and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Blue Jays 6-5 last night in Toronto.
The victory helped the Reds forget about a 14-1 defeat Tuesday.
“We were able to get the run when we needed it,” Griffey said. “That's important.”
Reds manager Dusty Baker chided Bruce for trying to bunt with one on and one out in the fourth. Bruce grounded into a fielder's choice on the play.
“I shouldn't have been bunting in that situation,” Bruce said. “I understand that.”
There was no need for the rookie to bunt in the 10th. Toronto reliever Brian Wolfe (0-2) began the inning by walking Norris Hopper and Paul Janish, and both runners advanced when David Ross sacrificed.
Left-hander Jesse Carlson came on to face the left-handed hitting Bruce, who hung in against the tough southpaw to loft a fly ball to left that easily produced a run.
“He came back and won the game for us,” Baker said. “That was big.”
Griffey opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first, his ninth of the season.
Jared Burton (4-1) worked two scoreless innings for the victory and Francisco Cordero closed it out for his 15th save as the Reds won for just the third time in 10 games.
Other games of note:
NATIONALS 5, ANGELS 4: Jesus Flores hit an RBI single off Scot Shields (3-2) with one out in the bottom of the ninth to give Washington a home victory over Los Angeles. The injury-riddled Nationals snapped a four-game skid and ended the Angels' five-game winning streak. Washington had lost seven of eight overall.
YANKEES 10, PIRATES 0: Joba Chamberlain was dominant in his first major league win as a starter and the New York Yankees bounced back from one of their worst losses of the season, routing the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Derek Jeter went 3-for-3 and scored three runs, Bobby Abreu had a three-run homer among his three hits and Robinson Cano added a solo shot as the Yankees got 16 hits to shake off a 12-5 loss Tuesday that prompted manager Joe Girardi to say they “stunk.”
RAYS 15, MARLINS 3: Carl Crawford had two home runs and a career-high five RBI, and the first nine Tampa Bay batters reached and scored in what became a 10-run fifth inning against Florida in Miami. Evan Longoria had three hits, including his 13th homer, and drove in three runs for the Rays, who came within one run of matching the biggest inning in franchise history.
CUBS 7, ORIOLES 4: Geovany Soto drove in three runs, Jim Edmonds homered and Chicago jumped on spot starter Matt Albers early and went on to beat Baltimore, one day after the Orioles snapped the Cubs' 14-game home winning streak.
METS 8, MARINERS 2: David Wright homered in his first two at-bats a night after getting his first day off this season, helping John Maine and the Mets rebound from two lackluster losses to lowly Seattle.
PHILLIES 4, ATHLETICS 0: Kyle Kendrick pitched eight strong innings, allowing just four hits in the longest start of his career, to help Philadelphia end a season-long six-game losing streak with a victory at Oakland.
BRAVES 4, BREWERS 2: Kelly Johnson drove in three runs to back Jorge Campillo, and the banged-up Braves rallied to beat Milwaukee and avoid a three-game sweep at home. Atlanta 3B Chipper Jones (strained right quadriceps) and SS Yunel Escobar (jammed shoulder) sat out.
