Reds’ Harang cruises after early hurdle
Monday, August 21, 2006
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>TOM UHLMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Other than allowing a home run to Jason Bay in the fourth inning, Aaron Harang was in total control in the Reds’ 5-1 win over the Pirates. </TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>
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CINCINNATI — The inevitable uh-oh moment arrived in the first inning for the Reds and Aaron Harang yesterday afternoon in Great American Ball Park.
The first two Pittsburgh batters reached base on an error and a hit, which meant Harang had to navigate his way through the black-and-yellow hornet swarm presented by noted Cincinnati stingers Freddy Sanchez, Jason Bay and Jeromy Burnitz.
Three swinging strikeouts later, the Reds were on the way to a 5-1 victory in front of 29,935 fans and to a happy clubhouse. The presence of Harang (13-8) in the rotation has made his teammates feel safe all season.
"When his turn comes around, he’s been so consistent for us," first baseman Scott Hatteberg said. "Those first couple of plays, they get runners on, no outs, they’re threatening right out of the gate. He really showed why he’s a premier pitcher."
Sanchez, whose .352 batting average leads the National League, had seven hits in the first two games of the series. Bay had four hits and four RBI. The veteran Burnitz, meanwhile, owned 24 lifetime home runs against the Reds.
No runs scored.
"That gave us momentum," Hatteberg said. "Then we were able to get him some runs, and I could see (Harang’s) confidence get even better."
Hatteberg snapped a season-high 0-for-17 slump with a two-run home run in the third inning. Adam Dunn followed two batters later with another two-run shot, and Harang felt safer with a 4-0 lead.
"It gives you a little bit of ease where you can just go out and make pitches," he said. "If you miss and a guy hits a solo home run, it’s not going to affect you. If it’s a 0-0 game, one pitch can cost you the game. So it’s always nice to get a couple of runs on the board. It all works hand in hand."
Harang did surrender a solo home run to Bay in the fourth, but Hatteberg negated that run with an RBI double in the bottom of the inning. Harang allowed five hits over seven innings and struck out nine without walking a batter. Scott Schoeneweis and David Weathers each tacked on a scoreless relief inning for the Reds.
"I thought (Harang) threw better after 90 pitches than he had all day," Cincinnati manager Jerry Narron said. "He settled down and pitched extremely well at the end. I got a little concerned early, but what did he do? Strike out Bay, Sanchez and Burnitz? Not many people are going to do that."
The victory allowed the Reds to stay 2½ games behind first-place St. Louis in the National League Central and to maintain their lead in the wild-card standings with division rival Houston arriving tonight to begin a three-game series.
"Our goal is to win (each) series," Hatteberg said. "If we can do that from here on out, we’ve got a chance."
The Astros trail the Reds by five games. Seven other teams are also in the postseason chase.
"We’re in a playoff race with a lot of teams, and we’re chasing one," Hatteberg said. "I thought we had a great game today offensively, and Harang threw great. We still have a month-plus of baseball, and a lot can happen."
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