LOS ANGELES - This was the Barry Larkin of old. Limited to 45 games last season because of injuries, Larkin hit his first home run since last June and turned in a spectacular defensive play in the Reds' 4-0 win over Dodgers 4-0 Wednesday night.

Barry Larkin awaits pitch from Hideo Nomo. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Coming off an April in which he batted .193 with five RBI and 15 strikeouts, Larkin opened the game by driving Hideo Nomo's 2-1 pitch over the left-field fence to end a 2-for-22 slump. It was Larkin's first homer since last June 26 — three days before he went on the disabled list and missed the final 85 games.

        “I'm just trying to find some consistency in my approach, hit the ball hard and hopefully the results will be there,” said Larkin, who won nine Silver Slugger awards as the league's top hitter among shortstops.

        His defensive gem came in the bottom of the first. He short-hopped Cesar Izturis' liner up the middle and stretched his right leg to get the force on Dave Roberts, who was off with the pitch.

        “I had the coverage on the steal, and the ball was hit with a weird sidewards kind of spin on it. It kind of darted toward me instead of bouncing,” said Larkin, an 11-time All-Star shortstop and three-time Gold Glove winner. “It was just one of those things where I was in the right place at the right time.”

        Winning pitcher Joey Hamilton, who helped San Diego win a pennant in 1998, has noticed similarities between that team and this one.

        “There's a lot of character on this team,” said Hamilton. “The guys scrap, they play hard and never give in. It's a totally different outlook and attitude from what I saw last year when I came here. Of course, we were 30 games out and ready to go home.”

        Not this year. The Reds began May in first place for the first time since 1994 — their first season in the NL Central after shifting from the NL West. They are 14-6 since Ken Griffey Jr. was placed on the DL with a torn tendon in his right knee.

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