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Bruce 'ain't up here to paint'
Says Reds manager of Jay Bruce, who went 4-for-5 and scored winning run in 3-2 win.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
CINCINNATI — Chants of his name began with his first at-bat five days ago and are destined to last the length of his career.
"Brrrruuuucccce."
Extras
Friday night, May 30, at Great American Ball Park, Jay Bruce didn't seem to care if it was future Hall-of-Famer Tom Glavine — who gave up his first three hits — pitching, or Royce Ring, who gave up his last.
"All I can say is I'm glad we won," said Bruce, who two years ago at Class A Dayton struggled to hit left-handers and this night hit two of them for four hits in five at-bats as the Reds beat the Braves 3-2 in 11 innings.
Bruce, who scored the winning run on a hard Brandon Phillips grounder to third that Atlanta's Chipper Jones couldn't stop, elevated his four-day-old batting average to .571 as he collected three singles, a double, knocked in a run and scored twice.
He also raced back to the warning track in center to flag down one long drive as he fell in the sixth, and nearly snagged a lead-off single in the 11th that bounced just in front of his glove as he dove to the grass.
"He ain't up here to paint," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "He's up here to play. That's why most guys that come up here I play right away, because they were hot (Bruce was hitting .364 in Class AAA Louisville). The first week you're up here is one of the best times. (Teams) try to find your Kryptonite. Right now, he doesn't have any."
Bruce, batting second, followed Jerry Hairston Jr.'s walk in the first with a single to right after two strikes. He blooped a two-out single to left in the third, then bounced a double off the warning track in right-center in the sixth, scoring Hairston, who also had doubled. Bruce then scored Cincinnati's second run on a sacrifice fly.
But Atlanta tied the game and when Bruce — who made a pop-foul out in the eighth with a runner on — led off the inning, the "Brrrruuuucccce" chants started again from a crowd of 37,015.
He rewarded the cheer with a first-pitch single to left.
"When Jay Bruce got that hit, I knew we were going to win the game," Phillips said.
Ken Griffey Jr. followed with a ground single to left that Jones just missed at third, and runners were on first and second.
When Jones couldn't come up with Phillips' grounder — changed from a hit to an error — the left fielder had no way of getting to the ball in time to catch Bruce at home.
"We did what we were supposed to do," Bruce said.
Well, one guy seemed to do a little more.
Today's game
Who: Braves (Jurrjens 5-3) at Reds (Fogg 1-2)
When: 3:55 p.m. TV: Fox Radio: WONE-AM (980)
