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Volquez, Votto lift Reds to victory
HAL MCCOY: Volquez vs. Hamilton in All-Star Game?
COMMENT: Who got the better deal in the Volquez-Hamilton trade?
Thursday, June 05, 2008
PHILADELPHIA — It isn't as if the Philadelphia Phillies had never seen the blinding fast balls and the tantalizing changeups of the Cincinnati Reds' steely armed starting pitcher Edinson Volquez.
And on the whole, the Phillies don't care if they ever see him again.
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After seeing him twice during spring training and once earlier this season, the fourth time was not the charm.
Volquez was a blister again, throwing seven shutout innings at the high-powered Phillies in their high-tech, high-return offensive ball park. The Reds won, 2-0.
"Just shows what kind of stuff he has to be able to do that," manager Dusty Baker said. "They know what he throws, but they don't hit him."
Said Volquez, "Those guys know me, and I'm going to have to stay away from them, but I had good stuff tonight."
The Reds had to shake off a near no-hitter by opposing pitcher Brett Myers to claim their victory — one hit against him in seven innings and three hits for the night, two by Joey Votto.
On April 6 in Great American Ball Park, Volquez bound and gagged the Phillies on one run and five hits over 5 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out eight in an 8-2 victory.
This time he held the Phillies to two hits, walking two and striking out eight again, lowering his MLB-best earned-run average to 1.32, running his record to 8-2.
For two assignments that count against the first-place Phillies, Volquez is 2-0, giving up seven hits in 12 1/3 innings.
"Against that club in this ball park, a shutout is almost impossible," Baker said. "I don't think I've ever seen Chase Utley strike out twice in a game, and Volquez got him the first two times."
Volquez sneaked to his locker as a media swarm waited and said, "You looking for me?"
The Phillies are still looking for him.
"Their guy was throwing a no-hitter ... and I just wanted to keep my team in the game," added Volquez. "I knew in my heart that my team was going to get some hits.
"My change-ups and fastballs were good, and I even threw a couple of good curves," he said.
His only problem surfaced in the fifth when he hit two batters and walked one, loading the bases with two outs and Ryan Howard at the plate.
"I knew I had to make a good pitch to get him out," Volquez said. "I didn't want to hit two guys, but I did. I got Howard on a change-up away (on the first pitch)."
Baker said that inning was vintage Volquez, "Because when he gets in trouble, he reaches back and finds something extra, done it all year."
About Utley, Volquez said, "I threw change-ups inside. He has a little hole right now, change-ups inside. He can hit fastball down and in and a fastball away, he'll kill you."
Votto drove in both runs, first breaking up Myers' no-hitter with a run-scoring double in the sixth and adding another run-scoring double in the ninth.
Myers, 3-6 with a 5.52 ERA when proceedings commenced, held the Reds without a hit through 5 2/3 innings.
He walked Brandon Phillips with one out in the sixth, and Phillips stole second. With two outs, Myers had Votto 0-and-2 when, with one swing, Votto ended the no-hitter and the shutout.
He shot a double to left center that scored Phillips for a 1-0 lead.
Volquez was nearly unhittable, too, giving up only two hits, a pair of singles in the fourth inning, before Bill Bray replaced Volquez in the eighth after he threw 113 pitches.
Heart palpitations reverberated through the Reds' dugout with one out in the eighth.
Left fielder Adam Dunn lost a fly ball at the last moment in the lights, and the ball bounced off his personage as Utley raced to second base.
Bray struck out Howard after falling behind 3-and-0, then Francisco Cordero came in to walk Pat Burrell before retiring the side on a grounder by Geoff Jenkins.
Cordero pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 12th save.
Votto ended a 0-for-10 skid Tuesday night with a late-game single, then added his two run-scoring doubles Wednesday.
"This was something we needed, a win on the road, and I'm glad I was able to come through," he said, modest as ever. He was more effusive about Volquez.
"I can't say enough about him," said Votto. "He goes out every time and gives us a great performance. And tonight was the very best example of what he has done all year. He took care of us, the entire team."
On this night, it was double 'V' for victory — Volquez on the mound and Votto in the batter's box.
