Freel's homers pace Reds' win

He hit a pair, including a tie-breaker in the eighth against the Brewers.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CINCINNATI -- Ryan Freel hit a pair of solo homers Saturday, including a tie-breaking shot in the eighth inning that sent the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-7 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Scott Hatteberg also homered and drove in three runs for the Reds, who are 7-2 since the All-Star break.
A bullpen fortified by two trades has been one of the Reds' strengths during the surge, repeatedly saving a starter who had an off-night. It took over after Joe Mays failed to make it through the fourth inning, and prevailed over a Brewers team that has been done in by its late-game pitching breakdowns.
Bill Hall's two-run homer off Cincinnati's David Weathers tied it at 7 in the sixth inning, the only bad moment for Reds relievers. Todd Coffey (6-4) got the last two outs in the eighth, and Eddie Guardado -- acquired in one of those trades -- pitched the ninth to remain perfect in five save chances with Cincinnati.
Freel opened the Reds' first inning with a homer off Dave Bush, and hit another with one out in the eighth off Geremi Gonzalez (2-2) for his second two-homer game of the season.
Milwaukee has lost nine of its last 11, falling a season-low six games under .500 at 46-52. The Brewers were only 21/2 games out of first place in the NL Central before the slump bumped them well back into a pack of wild-card contenders led by Cincinnati.
The Reds had only their fourth sellout in 51 home games this season. The other three times they played in front of a full house, they lost.
They finally broke through in front of a crowd of 41,915 that made Freel come out for a curtain call after his homer in the eighth, the last of five overall in the game.
Joe Mays, who hadn't pitched in 16 days, gave up five runs in only 3 2-3 innings, including a three-run homer by Damian Miller.
Bush lasted only three innings in another rough night at Great American. Two of his shortest starts this season have come at the homer-friendly ballpark. Bush was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fourth, having thrown 68 pitches.
That left it up to what were statistically the NL's two worst bullpens, although one of them has gotten better lately. A pair of trades brought the Reds their current closer and relievers Bill Bray and Gary Majewski, calming the troubles.
Milwaukee's bullpen is last in the league, and not getting much better. Struggling Derrick Turnbow was pulled out of the closer's role after he helped the Reds rally for a 6-5 win on Friday night. Right-hander Dan Kolb will close games for now.
MILWAUKEECINCINNATI
abrhbiabrhbi
Weeks 2b4011Freel rf4333
Cirillo 3b4000Dunn lf3121
Jenkins rf4010Grdado p0000
CaLee lf4000Grf Jr. cf4100
Fildr 1b3100EEcrcn 3b5120
Gross cf2310Httberg 1b4133
BShse p0000Aurilia 1b1000
Cpllan p0000BPhllps 2b3011
BHall ss4222Clayton ss4000
DMiller c4113Coffey p0000
Bush p1000Dnorfia lf0000
CHart ph1011LaRue c3110
Gnzlz p1000Mays p1000
BClark cf1010Stndrdg p0000
Wthers p0000
Wise ph1010
Bray p0000
JCastro ss1010
Totals33787Totals348148
Milwaukee030202000--7
Cincinnati31210001x--8
DP--Cincinnati 2. LOB--Milwaukee 4, Cincinnati 9. 2B--Dunn (16), EEncarnacion (21), Hatteberg (22), BPhillips (15). HR--BHall (20), DMiller (6), Freel 2 (7), Hatteberg (9). CS--JCastro (1). S--BPhillips, Mays.
IPHRERBBSO
Milwaukee
Bush376632
Gonzalez L,2-24 1-362203
BShouse1-310000
Capellan1-300000
Cincinnati
Mays3 2-355531
Standridge1 1-300000
Weathers112220
Bray1 1-310000
Coffey W,6-42-300001
Guardado S,5110000
Gonzalez pitched to 2 batters in the 8th. HBP--by BShouse (Dunn), by Gonzalez (Freel). Umpires--Home, Gary Cederstrom; First, Bob Davidson; Second, Jim Reynolds; Third, Tim Welke. T--2:55. A--41,915.
Mets 4, Astros 3
NEW YORK -- Xavier Nady hit a three-run homer and Orlando Hernandez recovered from a shaky start to pitch New York past Houston.
Carlos Delgado added a sacrifice fly, helping the NL East-leading Mets to their third consecutive victory and 11th in 15 games. They improved to a season-best 21 games over .500.
Houston starter Brandon Backe (1-1) came off the disabled list and lasted four innings in his first start in more than three months. The Astros dropped their third straight and eighth in 11 games to fall a season-worst six games below .500.
A two-run homer by Lance Berkman and a solo shot by Preston Wilson off Hernandez (6-8) in the first gave Backe a 3-0 lead.
Duaner Sanchez tossed a scoreless eighth and Billy Wagner got three outs in a steady rain for his 20th save in 24 chances.
HOUSTONNEW YORK
abrhbiabrhbi
Biggio 2b3100Reyes ss4010
Lamb 1b4010Vlentin 2b2110
Brkmn rf4112Beltran cf4010
Huff 3b4000CDlgdo 1b2111
PrWlsn cf4111CFloyd lf4110
Scott lf4010Nady rf3113
Asmus c4010DSnchz p0000
AEvrtt ss3010JuFrco ph0000
Backe p1000BWgnr p0000
Tveras ph1000Wdwrd 3b3000
Brkski p0000RCstro c3000
OPlmro ph1000OHrndz p1000
Qualls p0000Chavez rf1000
TreMllr p0000
Sprger p0000
Totals33363Totals27464
Houston300000000--3
New York10030000x--4
E--Reyes (9). DP--New York 1. LOB--Houston 5, New York 6. 2B--AEverett (16). HR--Berkman (26), PrWilson (9), Nady (14). CS--Reyes (10). S--OHernandez. SF--CDelgado.
IPHRERBBSO
Houston
Backe L,1-1444443
Borkowski200002
Qualls1 1-310002
TreMiller1-310001
Springer1-300011
New York
OHrndz W,6-8743328
DSanchez110001
BWagner S,20110001
Umpires--Home, Mike Winters; First, Brian Runge; Second, Bruce Froemming; Third, Paul Emmel. T--2:45. A--46,574.
Nationals 7, Cubs 3
WASHINGTON -- If, as trade rumors would have it, Alfonso Soriano and Livan Hernandez are on their way out of town, they're still helping Washington win for now.
With other clubs' scouts in town ahead of the July 31 trading deadline, Soriano hit three doubles and a triple, drove in one run and scored two, while Hernandez (7-8) threw six solid innings for his first win in nearly a month.
Soriano is hitting .467 (14-for-30) since the All-Star break.
Rookie Ryan Zimmerman delivered the go-ahead hit, a two-run double in the fifth off reliever Scott Williamson (2-3) to put Washington up 4-3.
CHICAGOWASHINGTON
abrhbiabrhbi
Pierre cf5010ASrano lf5241
NPerez 2b4000FLopez ss4121
Novoa p0000Zmrmn 3b5012
DeLee ph1000NJhnsn 1b3020
ARmrz 3b4232Kearns rf3111
Mabry 1b2100Matos cf3110
Pagan rf1000Ward ph0000
JJones rf4020Church cf0000
Murton lf0000MrAnd 2b4000
Nevin lf4021Fick c4000
Cedeno ss3000LHrndz p2110
HBlnco c3010Escbar ph1112
Ohman p0000Bowie p0000
TWalkr 2b1000Rauch p0000
Mrshall p2000Dorta ph1000
Wllmsn p0000CCrdro p0000
Barrett c2010
Totals363103Totals357137
Chicago200010000--3
Washington01102201x--7
E--NPerez (6), ARamirez (6). DP--Chicago 3. LOB--Chicago 8, Washington 8. 2B--JJones (22), HBlanco (7), Barrett (16), ASoriano 3 (24), FLopez (16), Zimmerman (30), Matos (2), LHernandez (4). 3B--ASoriano (2). HR--ARamirez 2 (21), Kearns (17), Escobar (3). SB--JJones (6), NJohnson (9). CS--NJohnson (3), MarAnderson (4).
IPHRERBBSO
Chicago
Marshall462202
Williamson L,2-3133320
Ohman1 1-311102
Novoa1 2-331110
Washington
LHrndz W,7-8673325
Bowie1 2-310000
Rauch1-310001
CCordero110000
Williamson pitched to 1 batter in the 6th. HBP--by Novoa (Ward). WP--Ohman. Umpires--Home, Tim Tschida; First, Ted Barrett; Second, Laz Diaz; Third, Rick Reed. T--3:18. A--38,021.
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