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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Steve Parris hadn't won since May 9. A
Cincinnati Reds starter hadn't gotten a victory since June 3.
|  | | Ken Griffey Jr. launches his 21st home run of the season. |
Both streaks ended with the best performance of Parris'
disappointing season.
Parris took a shutout into the eighth inning before tiring, and Ken Griffey Jr. homered as the Reds beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 Thursday night.
Parris (3-10) has been the epitome of the Reds' fall from grace
in 2000. Last year, he got a career-high 11 wins and revived his
career. This year, he's already set a career record for losses.
"It's really been kind of a fluke season," Parris said.
"Actually, last year was kind of a fluke season, too -- we came
back and won a couple of games. This year, it seems like when I
pitch well, we don't score any runs. When we do get the runs, I
have a (bad) inning."
Cincinnati won for only the third time in 15 games, a slump
that's dropped the Reds deep into second place in the NL Central.
They'd lost four consecutive series before taking two of three from
Colorado.
The Rockies fell a game behind idle Arizona in the NL West as
they lost for only the fourth time in 12 games. They head to
Arizona for a weekend series.
The Reds' rotation has been their main problem during the skid,
going 0-10 with a 6.54 ERA in 15 games. Parris ended the long run
of futility by taking advantage of an unexpected opportunity.
Moved up one day because starter Ron Villone cut his left index
finger, Parris shut down the NL's top-hitting and top-scoring team
until the eighth, when Mike Lansing and Larry Walker had
back-to-back RBI doubles. Danny Graves gave up another run-scoring
double to Jeff Cirillo before retiring the next five batters for
his 10th save in 11 chances.
Parris allowed five hits -- two by Neifi Perez -- in a season-high
7 1/3 innings.
"He was getting ahead of hitters and he wasn't afraid to throw
his curve," manager Jack McKeon said. "He was working fast. It
was really a different guy out there -- a lot like the guy we had
last year. He was just what the doctor ordered."
Colorado has come from behind in 22 of its 38 wins, but couldn't
overcome a 5-0 deficit.
"Somewhere along the line, we've got to throw the first
punch," manager Buddy Bell said. "Even at home we do this. It's
all right -- we play well from behind. But it would be nice to get
out front and stay out front."
Dante Bichette, the Reds' best hitter in June, doubled home a
run, and Griffey hit a solo homer off Kevin Jarvis (2-2), making
his first start against his former team.
Jarvis, a resident of Lexington, Ky., was drafted by the Reds in
1991 and made his debut in Cincinnati three years later. He often
had trouble closing out innings while pitching for the Reds, and
fell into the same rut pitching against them.
Barry Larkin doubled in the first and came around on Bichette's
two-out double, a fly ball off the end of his bat that landed
inches fair down the right-field line. Dmitri Young followed with
an RBI double just inside the left-field line, and Sean Casey's
single made it 3-0.
"There's a fine line between having a 0-0 game in the sixth or
seventh and being down four runs," said Jarvis, who had about 50
relatives and friends in the stands. "All I can say is, that's the
game of baseball."
Jarvis went to a full count on Griffey in the fifth, and catcher
Brent Mayne couldn't hold onto a foul tip. Griffey pulled the next
pitch, one that hung belt-high over the plate, into the second deck
in right field for his 21st homer.
For the second consecutive game, a misplay in center field gave
the Reds a run. On Wednesday, Brian Hunter broke in on Aaron
Boone's fly, then ran back and had it go off his glove for an error
that led to a run.
This time, Tom Goodwin broke in on Eddie Taubensee's fly in the
sixth, only to have it go over his head for a run-scoring double.
It was only Taubensee's third RBI since May 3.
Game
notes
Goodwin stole three bases, raising his total to a major
league-leading 33. ... Perez has been tough on Parris, going
5-for-9 career off the right-hander. ... Colorado's Jeffrey
Hammonds ended his career-high 18-game hitting streak by striking
out as a pinch-hitter to end the game. ... Todd Helton was 0-for-4,
dropping his NL-leading average to .387. ... In seven previous
starts, Parris was 0-6. ... The Reds' last 12 homers have been solo
shots, a measure of their struggling offense. ... Villone hopes to
make his next scheduled start. He threw on Wednesday, but the cut
opened up. ... Bichette went 2-for-4, leaving him .369 in June.
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Baseball Scoreboard
Colorado Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
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