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GAME LOG
CHICAGO (AP) -- Ken Griffey Jr. has an interesting note for the
Moeller High School alumni newsletter.
Griffey Jr. reached 100 RBI for the fifth straight season
Saturday, driving in fellow Moeller grad Barry Larkin for the
milestone as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 3-0.
|  | | Ken Griffey Jr. watches a lot of run-scoring hits come off the end of his bat, but this one in the fifth inning Saturday gave Junior 100 RBI for the fifth straight season. |
Jason LaRue homered twice and Scott Williamson pitched seven
shutout innings, striking out Sammy Sosa three times in a row.
"There are a bunch of guys on base and you get some hits,"
Griffey said, shrugging off his achievement. "That's something you
guys look at. I'm just trying to help the club.
"It just happened that another Moeller High School guy was on
when I hit it."
Griffey, who returned home to Cincinnati this year after
spending his first 11 seasons in Seattle, graduated from Moeller in
1987. Larkin, who signed a three-year, $27 million extension so he
can stay in his hometown, graduated in 1982.
The victory was the Reds' fourth in five games, and they beat
Chicago for the second consecutive day. It's only the second time
since the All-Star break that the Cubs have lost a series and lost
two in row.
The Reds made Williamson (5-7) a reliever last season after he
spent two years in the minors as a starter, then converted him back
to a starter last month. He's still trying to get his bearings, and
he gave up a career-high six runs in his last outing.
He decided before the game he was going to show more emotion on
the mound, and it worked. He gave up four hits, including a double
to Mark Grace in the sixth. He struck out seven and walked five.
"Striking out Sosa in those two situations pumped me up,"
Williamson said. "(In the seventh) as soon as it left my hand, I
knew he was going to swing at it. I gave him a lot of different
looks, really had him off guard."
Relievers Scott Sullivan, Ron Villone and Danny Graves completed
the combined five-hitter.
The Cubs didn't help themselves as they stranded 13, including
two in the ninth. Graves walked Gary Matthews Jr. to start the
inning and Eric Young followed with an infield single. The runners
moved up on a grounder and Graves retired Sosa on a comebacker.
Graves then got Grace on a fly ball for his 20th save in 23
chances.
"They were giving us opportunities," Cubs manager Don Baylor
said. "We were still in the ball game at 2-0, but we just could
not find a base hit anywhere."
Daniel Garibay (2-5) was solid, giving up two runs and six hits
in seven innings. But he made a couple of mistakes, and the Reds
took advantage of them.
LaRue, hitting just .125 since being recalled from Triple-A
Louisville on Aug. 1, connected in his first at-bat for his first
home run of the season. He put a 0-1 pitch over the left-field wall
to give the Reds a 1-0 lead in the second.
LaRue homered again to left in the ninth off Tim Worrell. LaRue
has only four hits since being recalled.
"I'm on top of the world right now," LaRue said. "Over the
past month I've been searching, trying to find my swing again. As
soon as I got here, we went to work on my swing. We've been working
on trying to shorten it up."
Griffey doubled off the wall in the fifth to drive in Larkin,
playing his second game after missing five with a sprained knee.
Griffey, in his first season in the National League, had seven
100-RBI seasons with Seattle.
"I was trying to make it difficult for him, but every time he
came up, he had men on bases," Garibay said. "I just let that
pitch stay there, and he hit it."
Game notes
LaRue's homer was his first since last Sept. 18 at
Pittsburgh. ... The crowd of 40,625 was the season's largest and
put the Cubs over the 2 million mark in home attendance this
season. ... The Reds have won eight of their last 11 road games.
... Cubs pitchers have allowed 168 home runs. ... Garibay's No. 76
is the second-highest number worn by a Cubs player. Bill Voiselle
wore No. 96 in 1950.
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Chicago Cubs Clubhouse
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