Tuesday, May 04, 1999

Cameron's hit beats Arizona in 9th inning

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Single to wall completes rally

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati's Mike Cameron tries to break up a double play by Arizona's Jay Bell in the third inning Monday. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        Mike Cameron snapped an 0-for-13 slump with a bases-loaded single in the ninth inning Monday night to give the Reds a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

        Aaron Boone began the winning rally, neatly bunting reliever Darren Holmes' first pitch toward third base for a single. Pokey Reese sacrificed Boone to second base.

        Holmes (2-1) walked pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney intentionally and pinch-hitter Hal Morris unintentionally, bringing up Cameron.

        Cameron took the first pitch, which was called a ball. Arizona pitching coach Mark Conner visited Holmes at the mound. Cameron lofted the next pitch over the head of right fielder Tony Womack, who was playing shallow to cut off runners at the plate. The ball short-hopped the right-field wall as Boone scored.

        Scott Williamson (2-1) blanked the Diamondbacks in the last two innings.

        Receiving his expected promotion from Triple-A Indianapolis, Reds starter Steve Parris pitched adequately, leaving in the sixth inning with the score tied 3-3. He allowed five hits while walking three and striking out one in his 5 1/3 innings.

        The Reds gave Parris a quick 3-0 lead. Cameron walked and Sean Casey singled with one out. Cameron stole third base on a 1-0 pitch to Greg Vaughn before Vaughn also walked, loading the bases. Eddie Taubensee's groundout to first base scored Cameron.

        Barry Larkin, batting .182 entering the game, ended an 0-for-11 skid by stroking a 1-2 pitch off Benes' glove and into center field for a single, delivering Casey and Vaughn.

        That was all the Reds mustered against Arizona starter Andy Benes, who owned a five-game winning streak in Cincinnati, dating to 1993. Benes lasted six innings, yielding three runs and five hits.

Greg Vaughn runs on the field following Mike Cameron's game-winning RBI in the bottom on the ninth Monday night. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        The Diamondbacks scored in the third inning after Parris walked Benes on four pitches to open the inning. Tony Womack singled Benes to third before Jay Bell lofted a sacrifice fly to center field, which Cameron caught with a herculean effort.

        Steve Finley tripled to right field with one out, sending up catcher Damian Miller. A late replacement for Kelly Stinnett, who was scratched from the starting lineup with flu-like symptoms, Miller drove a 1-0 pitch over the right-field wall for his second homer of the season.

        Each team squandered scoring opportunities. The Diamondbacks had two on with one out in the second when Miller sent a grounder between shortstop and third base that appeared destined for left field. But with the runners moving on the 3-2 pitch, the ball struck Matt Williams as he headed for third base.

        Instead of scoring or pulling in safely at third, Williams was out, and Parris escaped further trouble by getting Tony Batista to ground out.

        Parris' single and Michael Tucker's walk gave the Reds two on with nobody out in the fifth. But Benes toughened, striking out Cameron after falling behind 2-0, retiring Sean Casey on a fly ball and Greg Vaughn on a ground ball.

        SICK UMP: Home plate umpire Kerwin Danley became light-headed during the game and was taken to a hospital for a precautionary checkup.

        Danley walked off the field after the second inning. Second base umpire Ed Montague took over behind the plate, and the rest of the game was played with three umpires.

        Danley, 37, became a regular NL umpire last season.

        (The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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