Saturday, April 22, 2000

Dodgers 9, Reds 2

---

Bad night all around

BY JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer

Ken Griffey Jr. grimaces after hurting his back on a swing in the second inning. (Jeff Swinger photos) | ZOOM |

        It was bad enough that Barry Larkin tore a finger ligament and went into surgery. Then Ken Griffey Jr. hurt his back and Cincinnati's pitching staff imploded again, completing an all-around miserable night for the Reds.

        Todd Hundley homered and Kevin Elster hit a ninth-inning grand slam off Norm Charlton on Friday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers took advantage of the Reds' mounting woes for a 9-2 victory.

        “That's a tough night,” Reds manager Jack McKeon summed up.

        Larkin, the Reds' shortstop and captain, tore a ligament in the middle finger of his glove hand while diving for Mark Grudzielanek's two-run single in the second inning. Larkin's glove caught on the artificial turf as he dived, twisting his hand. He immediately went to a hospital for surgery and will be out for two-to-four weeks.

        There was more. Griffey pulled muscles in his back on a swing in the second inning and had to frequently bend to try to keep loose the rest of the game.

        Griffey was 1-for-3 with a double and a pair of walks and could only jog out a fourth-inning grounder, but played the entire game. A trainer came out to talk with him after his painful swing in the second inning.

        “I tweaked it just a little,” Griffey said. “You can't come out in that situation. We already lost one guy and you can't quit. If I couldn't swing or run, I would have come out.”

Starter Steve Parris gave up five runs in two innings. | ZOOM |

        The Dodgers overcame a ragged start by Eric Gagne to win a game that will be remembered more for the subplots. It started 27 minutes late because clubhouse attendants had to go on a last-minute shopping spree when the umpires' equipment got misdirected to New York.

        With the crew wearing black golfers' rain suits on a damp and raw night, both starting pitchers struggled with their control and the cold, frequently blowing on their hands.

        “That was survival tonight,” Elster said. “I might have played in colder weather, but I've never felt as cold as I did early on.”

        Matt Herges (1-0) got his first major league win by pitching 2 2-3 hitless innings in relief of Gagne, who threw 117 pitches in 4 1-3 innings.

        Herges, 30, finally made it to the major leagues last August and went 0-2 in 17 games. He had the ball from his first big-league win resting in his glove in his cubicle.

        “I don't have the words to describe it,” he said. “I'm grateful.”

Norm Charlton, in his first Reds appearance since 1992, gave up a grand slam. | ZOOM |

        Elster topped it off with a ninth-inning slam off Charlton, who walked the bases loaded before giving up the first-pitch homer in his first appearance for the Reds since 1992.

        “I wanted to jump on the first fastball I saw and he got it up,” Elster said.

        Steve Parris (1-3) had a bases-loaded double in the second for both of Cincinnati's runs, but lasted only two-plus innings. The right-hander gave up seven hits and two walks, needing 46 pitches to get through the second inning alone, as his ERA climbed to 8.47.

Participate in our e-mail poll
       

---

Reds Stories

Dodgers 9, Reds 2 Box, runs Larkin out 2-4 weeks Umpires' equipment causes delay, shopping trip Parris goes from best to worst Who bats second with Larkin out? Reese first made mark at 3B

Reds page