Reds' Arroyo beats former team
PITTSBURGH — Bronson Arroyo keeps reminding the Pirates what they let get away without receiving anything in return. Except a lot of well-pitched games against them.
Arroyo limited Pittsburgh to one run over seven-plus innings in his latest successful start against his former team, Scott Rolen and Laynce Nix doubled in runs and the Cincinnati Reds held off the Pirates to win 2-1 Monday night.
Arroyo (2-2), trying for his fourth career shutout, permitted only three singles until Ronny Cedeno led off the eighth by homering down the left-field line, his third of the season.
Manager Dusty Baker lifted Arroyo after Delwyn Young followed with a pinch-hit single, but reliever Arthur Rhodes got the next three outs — striking out Andrew McCutchen to strand Young at second.
Cincinnati scored what proved to be the winning run in the top of the inning, after Pirates third baseman Andy LaRoche committed his fourth error in four games by failing to make a backhanded stop of Joey Votto's grounder. Rolen doubled into the right-center gap off Evan Meek to make it 2-0, helping the Reds win their 10th in 14 games.
Arroyo couldn't have been much sharper, retiring the side in order four times while failing to allow a runner past second base until Cedeno homered. The right-hander struck out two and walked one, throwing 72 of 103 pitches for strikes. He lasted at least six innings for the sixth time in seven starts.
Arroyo won his fourth in his last five decisions against the Pirates, who released him after the 2002 season without bothering to try to trade him. He has won 79 games in the majors since then, including a pair of 15-win seasons and two 14-win seasons.The one-time Pirates prospect has permitted only three runs in 28 innings during those four victories, which date to midway through the 2008 season.Pirates right-hander Ross Ohlendorf (0-1) came off the disabled list to pitch four innings in his second start of the season, giving up three hits and walking four while throwing 84 pitches. Ohlendorf (back spasms) hadn't started since April 7 against the Dodgers, the Pirates' second game.The Reds' only run off Ohlendorf came in the fourth. Jay Bruce singled and scored on Nix's double, barely beating the relay throw to the plate. In the ninth, Johnny Gomes was thrown out at the plate trying to score on Orlando Cabrera's two-out double.<B>Notes: </B>Arroyo fell an inning short of making his ninth start of at least eight innings with no more than one run allowed since the start of last season. ... The Pirates are 10-3 in games decided by no more than two runs.
