Masset wins duel with Pujols as Reds prevail

Cincinnati Reds' Micah Owings, right, is congratulated by third base coach Mark Berry after Owings hit a solo home run off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Brad Thompson in the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 4, 2009, in Cincinnati.

Associated Press photo by David Kohl Cincinnati Reds' Micah Owings, right, is congratulated by third base coach Mark Berry after Owings hit a solo home run off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Brad Thompson in the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 4, 2009, in Cincinnati.

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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Francisco Cordero points skyward after striking out St. Louis Cardinals' Tyler Greene, ending the baseball game, Saturday, July 4, 2009, in Cincinnati. The Reds 5-2.

Associated Press photo by David Kohl Cincinnati Reds pitcher Francisco Cordero points skyward after striking out St. Louis Cardinals' Tyler Greene, ending the baseball game, Saturday, July 4, 2009, in Cincinnati. The Reds 5-2.

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By Hal McCoy, Staff Writer Updated 6:23 PM Saturday, July 4, 2009

CINCINNATI — Sometimes a baseball game is reduced to one at-bat, one confrontation, one me-against-you moment.

On the Fourth of July it was Nick Masset vs. Albert Pujols, mano y mano, in the seventh inning.

The Cincinnati Reds owned a three-run lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, but the Cardinals had two men on base with two outs.

The batter was Pujols, arguably baseball's best hitter, especially in crucial times, and the memory of his Friday night grand slam was still on the surface of every brain wearing a Reds uniform.

Manager Dusty Baker brought Masset in from the bullpen and the battle raged and waged until the count was 3-and-2. Pujols then grounded to second base. Battle over. Game over.

The Cardinals never threatened again and the Reds pocketed a 5-2 victory in Great American Ball Park.

That Masset was even able to walk to the mound was a shocking surprise. That Masset walked into Baker's office in the morning and said, "I'm ready, I'm a go," was a shocking surprise to Baker.

On Friday, Masset started the ninth inning and Yadier Molina scorched one directly into the biceps of Masset's pitching arm. He picked up the ball and threw out Molina, but left the game, his arm dangling like wet linguini.

"I had him as a 'no' for today originally," Baker said of Masset. "This guy wants to pitch and is a tough guy. And they gave him some kind of miracle patch that stops swelling, bleeding, bruising and everything else. I was real shocked that he could pitch. I'm glad he was able to pitch."

Masset had extra incentive. His parents and grandparents were in the stands, so what's a little pain in the biceps and what's a big pain in the batter's box like Pujols matter?

"It hit me flush on the muscle and it was really sore this morning," said Masset. "But when I started moving it around it wasn't as tight as I thought it would be. Some heat made it fine.

"As long as I'm not ill or dying, I'm going to be out there to try to help the team," he said. He wore a large flesh-colored patch on his arm, but laughed at Baker's reference to a miracle patch and said, "Just something to keep the inflammation away."

Of his confrontation with Pujols, Masset said, "I tried to stay away from his power zone and throw my best stuff at him."

Masset and everybody in the baseball world knew what Pujols did to David Weathers Friday with the grand slam that turned Cincinnati's 3-0 lead into a 4-3 deficit, but Masset blanked it out. Well, he said he did.

"I never think about what happened in the past, just the present," he said. "I don't even think about facing Pujols. I just think about throwing my best stuff at whoever is batting. I had a plan and I executed it and I was excited because my pitches end up where I want them to be and he did exactly what I wanted him to do."

Starter Micah Owings held the Cardinals to two runs and six hits over 6 2/3 innings, put the Reds ahead for good in the second with his third home run and won. He is 3-2 with a 3.53 ERA over his last six starts.

He gave up a home run to the second hitter he faced, Colby Rasmus, then settled in and received help from Joey Votto (triple, homer, two RBIs), three hits from Willy Taveras and a hit and two runs scored by Brandon Phillips.

"The weather was a bit iffy with a steady rain, but I just tried to pound the zone and trust the guys behind me," said Owings, now 6-8. "I put a good swing on the home run, got through it with my bat and it got up enough to get out. That enabled us to take the lead, then we put a few more on the board and we didn't look back after that."

Like Masset, Owings said The Pujols Disaster Friday was past history — write it down, then forget it.

"It was tough, but after we couldn't quite reach a foul ball he hit, it is in the back of your mind that he could hit one. And he did. We're seeing the greatest player right now, the greatest player in my lifetime. After it's over, there isn't much we can do, other than come back and do what we can do to win."

After Masset, Arthur Rhodes pitched a scoreless inning and Coco Cordero pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 20th save.

Bullpens learn to forget.

"You really don't want to face Pujols in any situation, but Albert is going to make an out sometime. You have to face him sometime. But that's nothing you want to do too often," said Baker.

"The life of a reliever is to forget yesterday if it was bad," Baker added. "Build on it if it is good. Bullpen work is tough duty. You are either a hero or zero. All the good relievers I've been around have an ability to forget yesterday."

Even if a baseball nearly tore your arm off and left Bud Selig's signature stenciled on your biceps.

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