REDS GO BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK, STILL FALL TO ROCKIES
5-Run 1st Inning Holds Up For Colorado
DENVER, May 1 (AP) - Sean Casey, Austin Kearns and Aaron Boone hit
back-to-back-to-back home runs in the top of third inning but the Cincinnati
Reds still succumbed at the hands of the Colorado Rockies, 9-4, at Coors
Field. The three home runs, all surrendered by Rockies starter Nelson
Cruz, came in the top of the third inning and cut a 5-1 deficit to a single run,
but the Reds didn't score again and Colorado gradually pulled away.
Cincinnati drew first blood in the top half of the opening inning on Kearns' RBI
fielder's choice, which scored Felipe Lopez who had singled leading off the
contest.
The Rockies roared back with five runs in the bottom half of the frame off Reds
starter Jeff Austin. Gabe Kapler led off with a home run to tie the score,
which was followed by consecutive walks to Jay Payton and Todd Helton.
Preston Wilson flied out but Jose Hernandez drew the third free pass of the
inning to load the bases. Chris Stynes then doubled home Payton and
Helton, advancing Wilson to third. Sean Casey then booted Bobby
Estalella's grounder, allowing Wilson to score to cap off the inning with
Colorado ahead, 5-1.
After the Reds pulled to within a single run in the third on the solo home run
barrage, the Rockies upped their advantage to 6-4 on Payton's RBI single in the
bottom of the inning.
Estalella's sacrifice fly in the fourth scored Hernandez, who had doubled, with
Colorado's seventh tally of the game and two more runs came home in the fifth,
the first when Reds left fielder Adam Dunn dropped a fly ball and the second on
a Hernandez sacrifice fly, giving the Rockies a 9-4 lead.
That was the extent of the scoring in the game. After the three
consecutive home runs in the third, Cruz retired 11 of the next 13 Cincinnati
batters he faced and shut the Reds out through the sixth inning. Javier
Lopez, Steve Reed and Jose Jimenez each tossed an inning of scoreless relief to
wrap up the game for the Rockies.
5/1/2003, Cin03-Col03, Coors Field 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 2003 Reds 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 8 2 9 1 2003 Rockies 5 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 x 9 10 0 10 0 Reds AB R H BI AVG Rockies AB R H BI AVG Lopez,F ss 4 1 1 0 .225 Kapler rf 3 1 1 1 .192 Dunn lf 3 0 1 0 .176 Payton lf 3 2 1 1 .259 Casey 1b 4 1 2 1 .255 Helton 1b 3 2 0 0 .292 Kearns cf 5 1 1 2 .228 Wilson,Pr cf 5 0 1 0 .300 Boone,A 3b 4 1 1 1 .300 Hernandez,J ss 3 2 1 1 .297 Guillen,J rf 4 0 1 0 .396 Stynes 3b 5 1 2 2 .247 Freel 2b 3 0 0 0 .308 Estalella c 4 0 1 1 .242 Stinnett c 4 0 1 0 .250 Butler 2b 2 1 2 1 .250 Austin p 1 0 0 0 .000 Cruz,N p 3 0 1 0 .250 Reith p 1 0 0 0 .000 Norton,G ph 1 0 0 0 .250 White,G p 0 0 0 0 .000 Lopez,JA p 0 0 0 0 .000 Pena,W ph 1 0 0 0 .188 Reed,S p 0 0 0 0 .000 Heredia p 0 0 0 0 .000 Jimenez,J p 0 0 0 0 1.000 Sullivan p 0 0 0 0 .000 32 9 10 7 Taylor,R ph 1 0 0 0 .200 35 4 8 4 Reds INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Austin L 0-1 2.1 7 6 5 5 2 84 46 13.50 Reith 2.0 2 3 1 4 0 56 24 3.38 White,G 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 9 8 4.50 Heredia 2.0 1 0 0 0 4 29 18 4.63 Sullivan 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 13 7 3.29 8.0 10 9 6 9 6 191 103 Rockies INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Cruz,N W 1-2 6.0 6 4 4 2 6 89 58 5.86 Lopez,JA H 4 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 17 11 2.19 Reed,S 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 11 9 5.25 Jimenez,J 1.0 0 0 0 2 2 22 11 6.92 9.0 8 4 4 4 11 139 89 Cin: Pena,W batted for White,G in the 6th Taylor,R batted for Sullivan in the 9th Col: Norton,G batted for Cruz,N in the 6th E-Dunn, Casey. 2B-Hernandez,J(7), Stynes(5), Butler(3). HR-Casey(7), Kearns(7), Boone,A(8), Kapler(1). RBI-Casey(20), Kearns 2(19), Boone,A(18), Kapler(3), Payton(12), Hernandez,J(27), Stynes 2(12), Estalella(9), Butler(3). CS-Kapler. K-Lopez,F, Dunn, Casey, Boone,A 2, Guillen,J, Freel, Stinnett 2, Reith, Taylor,R, Payton 2, Helton, Wilson,Pr, Hernandez,J, Estalella. BB-Lopez,F, Dunn 2, Casey, Kapler 2, Payton 2, Helton 2, Hernandez,J, Butler 2. SF-Hernandez,J, Estalella. HBP-Freel. HB-Cruz,N. GWRBI: Stynes Temperature: 74, Sky: clear, Wind: none. Attendance: 26,767 Game Time: 3:16