Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Jonny Gomes hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, as the Cincinnati Reds got by the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-1, at Great American Ball Park.
Go-Go Gomes: Jonny Hits Walkoff Home Run To Lift Reds Over Cardinals
Gomes finished 2-for-4, while Bronson Arroyo gave up one run on four hits with six strikeouts and three walks over a solid eight-inning start for the Reds, who salvaged a win in the three-game series. Arroyo also knocked in a run with a single in the fifth.
“I can’t ask for anything better than that, especially getting hit early on in the game,” Arroyo said about his outing. “I didn’t want them getting after my fastball a whole lot so I wanted to throw in a ton of changeups and luckily it was good and kept the hitters off balance.”
Matt Holliday accounted for the Cardinals' only offense with a homer in the seventh inning and finished 2-for-4. Skip Schumaker had the other two hits for St. Louis.
Brad Penny threw seven effective innings in his Cardinals debut but did not factor in the decision. The right-hander, who signed a one-year contract with the team in the offseason, allowed one run on six hits with four strikeouts and a pair of walks.
"LaRue did a great. I didn't have to shake that much. We were on the same page and when I did shake him, he knew right where I wanted to go," Penny said about his chemistry with catcher Jason LaRue.
Francisco Cordero (1-0) retired the Cardinals in order in the top of the ninth. Then in the home half, Trevor Miller got the first out before Tony LaRussa decided to go back to the bullpen and bring in Jason Motte (0-1), but Gomes hammered a 2-2 fastball into the left-field seats to give the Reds their first win of the season.
Both pitchers worked out of some first inning trouble, and neither team was able push across a run until the Reds finally broke through in the fifth.
Hanigan doubled just inside the third base bag with two away, and Arroyo stepped up and laced an RBI single to center to put Cincinnati in front.
Holliday’s seventh inning leadoff homer to left tied the contest at 1-1. The Cards mounted a two-out eighth inning threat, but with runners on first and second, Holliday flied out.
These two National League Central division foes split 16 encounters a year ago, with the Reds winning five of the nine games held in Cincinnati...The Reds left seven runners on base, while St. Louis stranded six.
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