| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
CHICAGO (AP) -- With the wind blowing out and a guy tied for most
losses in the National League on the mound, the Chicago Cubs figured they'd come
away with at least a couple of runs.
They figured wrong.
Sean Casey drove in one run with his bat and another with his
body, and Steve Parris got his first win since July 8 on Sunday
night as the Cincinnati Reds shut out the Cubs 3-0 again for a
three-game sweep.
|  | | Sean Casey slides into second after being forced out by the Cubs' Ricky Gutierrez on the front end of a double play in the fifth. |
"If you'd told me the wind's blowing out and we're going to get
shut out, I would have taken that bet," Cubs manager Don Baylor
said. "It was not Randy Johnson out there."
Casey homered and went 3-for-3. Pokey Reese drove in the other
run for the Reds, who have now won four in a row and nine of their
last 12 on the road.
After Sammy Sosa's three-run homer in the fifth inning Friday,
the Cubs went 22 innings without scoring. They are 0-for-20 with
runners in scoring position and 2-for-34 with runners on base. They
stranded nine Sunday, adding to the 13 they left Saturday.
They loaded the bases in the eighth after Parris gave up a
single to Eric Young and walks to Ricky Gutierrez and Sosa, but
reliever Scott Sullivan struck out Rondell White swinging to end
the threat.
"I didn't get a hit when it really counted," said White, who
put in extra work before the game with hitting coach Jeff Pentland
and went 2-for-4.
It was the first time the Cubs were swept since Florida did it
June 23-25. It also was their first three-game losing streak since
the All-Star break.
After getting within three games of Cincinnati before the
series, the Cubs are now six games behind the Reds.
"It's disappointing because we had a chance to do some damage
to the team in front of us," Mark Grace said. "Now we've got to
pick it up and get something out of this next homestand."
Parris (6-14) lost his previous three decisions, but pitched 7
2/3 scoreless innings against the Cubs and got support from his
teammates. He scattered six hits, struck out three and walked four.
Sullivan got four outs for his third save.
"I've got eight or nine games left," Parris said. "Hopefully
we'll score 15 runs a game and I'll get nine more wins."
Ruben Quevedo (1-4) gave up three runs and five hits in seven
innings. He also hit two batters _ forcing in a run when he plunked
Casey -- walked three and struck out five.
"Parris did a super job. He stayed right with them," Reds
manager Jack McKeon said. "We got a lot of clutch hitting. The hit
batsman was good. It gave us a cushion and you need a little
cushion in close games like that."
With the Cubs struggling, the Reds only needed a couple of runs
and got them out of the way early. Reese hit an RBI double in the
second inning, scoring Dante Bichette.
Casey made it 2-0 with a solo homer leading off the fourth, his
first since July 25 and ninth of the season.
"In the beginning of the year, I struggled so bad I just wanted
to get back to .300," said Casey, who did just that Sunday night.
In the fifth, Quevedo loaded the bases when he gave up a double
to Barry Larkin, hit Ken Griffey Jr. and walked Bichette. He then
hit Casey to force in a run, giving the Reds a 3-0 lead.
"Parris had a few games where we couldn't score or blew a lead
late," Casey said. "It means a lot to get him going."
Game notes
The back-to-back shutouts were the Cubs' first since July
27 and 28, 1997, to Colorado and Atlanta. ... Before the game,
Parris ran out to center field, touched the 400-foot sign and waved
to fans. Parris grew up in nearby Joliet, Ill. ... Former Cubs 2B
Ryne Sandberg sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in the
seventh-inning stretch. ... The Reds' sweep was their first at
Wrigley Field since September 1998. ... The 22 scoreless innings by
Reds pitchers marks their longest string of the season.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Cincinnati Clubhouse
Chicago Cubs Clubhouse
RECAPS
Tampa Bay 5
Chi. White Sox 3
Kansas City 10
Baltimore 5
Toronto 13
Minnesota 3
Detroit 5
Oakland 3
Cleveland 10
Seattle 4
NY Yankees 4
Anaheim 1
Boston 4
Texas 2
Los Angeles 7
Atlanta 2
NY Mets 2
San Francisco 0
Colorado 5
Montreal 3
Houston 14
Philadelphia 7
Arizona 7
Pittsburgh 6
St. Louis 6
Milwaukee 4
San Diego 7
Florida 3
Cincinnati 3
Chicago Cubs 0
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Pitcher Steve Parris and the Reds are looking to make a run for the division.
wav: 177 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
