Despite Nova's 12K's, Yanks Lose To Reds 6-5
NEW YORK (AP) — Joey Votto hit a three-run homer, Jose Arredondo worked out of a ninth-inning jam for his first major league save and the Cincinnati Reds held off the New York Yankees 6-5 Saturday.
New York scored twice off Sean Marshall in the ninth, but Reds manager Dusty Baker pulled his regular closer in favor of Arredondo and he got the job done.
The right-hander entered with runners at first and second and one out, and Derek Jeter grounded his first pitch to third. Cincinnati nearly turned a game-ending double play, but Jeter just beat the relay. Even Votto thought the Reds had it won — he clenched his fist when he caught the ball at first base, hoping the game was over.
Curtis Granderson then fouled off a 3-0 pitch before topping a slow roller to Votto for the final out.
Brandon Phillips got Cincinnati started with a run-scoring single and the Reds overcame Ivan Nova's career-high 12 strikeouts to improve to 2-2 during their five-game visit to both New York ballparks this week.
Making his first start at Yankee Stadium, Homer Bailey (2-3) pitched effectively into the seventh inning for the second consecutive outing. Cincinnati then turned it over to its normally lights-out bullpen and held on to hand New York its fourth loss in five games.
Logan Ondrusek retired Jeter on a shallow fly with two on to end the seventh. Cuban flame-thrower Aroldis Chapman, hitting 99 mph on the stadium radar gun, whiffed Granderson and Robinson Cano in a perfect eighth.
Raul Ibanez doubled to start the ninth and scored on Nick Swisher's single, snapping New York's 0-for-22 skid with runners in scoring position. Marshall threw a called third strike past Russell Martin, but Andruw Jones singled to put runners at the corners and Jayson Nix singled to make it 6-5.
That's when Baker went to Arredondo.
Martin and Nix homered for the Yankees on a beautiful, 74-degree day when three balls barely cleared the short porch in right field.
Bailey struck out Granderson with a runner on to end the fifth, then fanned Cano and Alex Rodriguez to start the sixth. The 26-year-old right-hander, drafted seventh overall in 2004, was 0-1 in his previous four starts since beating the Chicago Cubs on April 20 for the franchise's 10,000th victory.
With the score tied 2-all, No. 9 batter Wilson Valdez singled leading off the Reds fifth and Chris Heisey followed with a bunt single. One out later, Votto got just enough of an inner-half pitch from Nova (4-2) to drive it over the auxiliary scoreboard in right-center.
Five of Votto's seven homers this season have come in the last seven games, including a three-homer performance Sunday against Washington that he capped with a game-ending grand slam.
Nix homered in the bottom half to cut it to 5-3. An eighth-inning throwing error by Yankees reliever David Phelps led to Mike Costanzo's sacrifice fly.
Nova appeared to have no problem with the bruised and sprained right foot that knocked him out of Monday night's start at Baltimore in the sixth inning. Flashing a sharp curve, he struck out eight in the first three innings and had 11 strikeouts after five, surpassing his previous career high of 10 set on Aug. 4, 2011, against the Chicago White Sox.
The right-hander got himself in trouble with consecutive walks in the first and Phillips put the Reds ahead with an RBI single. Devin Mesoraco and Heisey both doubled in the second to make it 2-0.
It was an early breakthrough for the Reds, silenced by 39-year-old Andy Pettitte in their first shutout loss of the season Friday night.
Martin homered on the first pitch of the third and New York tied it on Ibanez's two-out RBI double in the fourth. Nova allowed seven hits and two walks over six innings in his second loss since a 15-game winning streak.
NOTES: The series finale Sunday features an excellent pitching matchup. Reds RHP Johnny Cueto (4-1, 1.89 ERA), coming off his first loss of the season Tuesday at Atlanta, faces Yankees ace CC Sabathia (5-1, 3.77). Cueto's 2.20 ERA over the past two seasons is the best in the majors. ... Cincinnati rookie SS Zack Cozart, with one hit in his last 26 at-bats, was not in the lineup. Valdez started in his place and moved to third when Cozart entered for defense in the eighth. ... Costanzo got his first major league start (at DH) and singled in the sixth for his first career hit. ... Bailey was 0-3 with a 4.26 ERA against American League teams last year. ... Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira was held out of the lineup for the second consecutive game and might get Sunday off, too. The team is hoping consecutive days of rest will help him shake the nasty cough that's been bothering him all season. ... During the game, the Reds traded minor league catcher Koyie Hill to the Chicago Cubs for cash.
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