DaytonDailyNews.com

NEW YORK — Daryl Thompson might think it was a form of rookie hazing, his teammates not scoring runs in his major-league debut. But that isn't the case.

The Cincinnati Reds seldom score runs for anybody, treating home plate like Mount Everest or the South Pole — a place difficult to reach.

The 22-year-old Thompson, pitching in Yankee Stadium on Saturday, June 21, didn't listen to the Ghost Whisperers of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.

Thompson held the Yankees to no runs and four hits (four walks, two strikeouts) over his five innings, but his offensive buddies scored zero off a 31-year-old journeyman named Dan Giese, making his first major-league start, for six innings.

For the Reds, though, all's well that ends well. They scored four unearned runs in the seventh inning and two runs in the eighth to win their second straight over the Yankees, 6-0.

The Reds never put together a threat for six innings, getting two hits.

They put two on with no outs in the seventh and nearly didn't score. But with two outs and first base open, the Yankees chose to pitch to Edwin Encarnacion with Corey Patterson on deck.

With two strikes, Encarnacion pulled a two-run single to left field. The Yankees replaced Giese with Jose Veras, and Patterson crushed his 100th career home run to make it 4-0.

Ken Griffey Jr. put on a deke on Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez during the four-run inning to make any wide receiver proud.

Had Griffey not done it, the inning would have ended with no runs.

Griffey was on second base and Brandon Phillips on first with no outs when Joey Votto grounded to third. A-Rod lunged to tag Griffey but missed when Griffey scrambled away from the tag. A-Rod threw Votto out at first, but didn't get Griffey for the double play.

After Adam Dunn struck out for what would have been the third out, Encarnacion banged his two-run single.

"That's from having two kids and playing football with them in the backyard," said Griffey. "And it's good footwork from having a 6-year-old running all over the house."

Phillips ripped a two-run single in the eighth, while Bill Bray, David Weathers, Jared Burton and Jeremy Affeldt finished off the seven-hit shutout.

It was an amazing outing for a kid who said he hasn't slept for three days, "Since hearing I was going to pitch in Yankee Stadium, I had nothing to eat for 24 hours but one little piece of sausage, and I woke up at 4:30 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep."

Thompson left an impression on Reds manager Dusty Baker.

"He was overthrowing in the beginning, a little over-excited," said Baker. "But he showed good velocity (94-95 mph). A young man like that, barely out of Double-A, first start in Yankee Stadium. Man, he had stuff and he went right at guys."

Thompson put runners on base every inning, but was better than criminal escape artist Willie Sutton at wiggling free.

Thompson's best was in the second when the Yankees filled the bases with no outs but didn't score because Thompson struck out Jorge Posada, popped up Robinson Cano and struck out Melky Cabrera.

With no outs and the bases full, Baker walked to the mound and said, "Hey, man, it's the same game, different place. Take a couple of deep breaths. Slow down."

Second best was the third when the Yankees put two on with no outs, but Thompson got fly balls from Bobby Abreu, A-Rod and Hideki Matsui.

"I stuck with a fastball-changeup all day," said Thompson. "Getting out of that second inning, bases loaded, no outs, boosted me way up, especially against the Yankees. I tried not to give in, no matter who was in the box."

It wasn't Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio or Mantle, but aren't A-Rod and Derek Jeter enough for a 22-year-old?

Griffey, whose father played for the Yankees in Yankee Stadium while he roamed the park, the mystique was nothing.

When asked how nice it is to win two straight from the almighty Yankees, he calmly said, "It's good to win two in a row from anybody."

Today's game

Who: Reds (Cueto 5-7) at Yankees (Pettitte 7-5)

When: 1:05 p.m.

Radio: WLW-AM (700)

TV: FSN Ohio