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CINCINNATI(AP)
Aaron Harang
had everything working. Against this lineup, he needed it.
The right-hander limited the NL's highest-scoring lineup to a solo homer Wednesday night, and
Brandon Phillips
drove in three runs, leading the
Cincinnati Reds
to a 5-1 victory that ended the
Philadelphia Phillies
' winning streak at five games.
Harang (4-4) has alternated losses and wins all season. He was as sharp as he's been all season, helping the Reds snap a four-game
losing streak.
''I kept the ball down moved it around where I wanted to,'' Harang said. ''I was able to keep them off-balance. I was able
to locate my fastball and throw my curveball for strikes early in the count.''
Philadelphia averages 5.7 runs per game, the best in the league, but managed only
Raul Ibanez
's 14th homer during Harang's seven innings.
Jimmy Rollins
and
Chase Utley
were a combined 0 for 8 at the top of the lineup, and
Jayson Werth
struck out three times against Harang.
''He made us look bad,'' Phillies manager
Charlie Manuel
said. ''We didn't handle nothing about him. He carved up two or three of our hitters, he really carved 'em up.''
Jamie Moyer
(3-4) remained winless in four May starts.
Ryan Hanigan
hit a solo homer, and Phillips and
Jay Bruce
had run-scoring singles off the left-hander. Leadoff hitter
Willy Taveras
had a pair of singles, ending an 0-for-19 slump that was the worst of his career.
Phillips broke the game open with a two-run triple in the seventh off
Chad Durbin
, his second triple in two games.
''Today was all about Aaron,'' Phillips said. ''He's the best pitcher on this team.''
The Phillies opened their 10-game trip by sweeping a four-game series in Washington and winning their first in Cincinnati.
They were batting .282 on the road, but couldn't do much against the Reds' top starter. Harang allowed four hits and a pair
of walks while matching his season high with nine strikeouts.
''That was a great game he pitched, a great seven innings,'' manager
Dusty Baker
said.
Philadelphia didn't get a hit over the last five innings, with the last 10 batters going out in order.
The 46-year-old Moyer has played for seven teams, but hadn't pitched in Cincinnati since May 4, 1991, when the Reds were defending
World Series champions playing at Riverfront Stadium. His first appearance at Great American Ball Park was better than his
recent outings, but wasn't good enough to bust his May slump.
''Sometimes you're on, sometimes you're not,'' Moyer said. ''I did some things I wanted to try, but the results weren't there.
I threw strikes.''
Unfortunately, he threw a lot of pitches overall - 105 in six innings.
''Even tonight, he got behind in the count,'' Manuel said. ''He didn't throw first-pitch strikes a lot. When he's going good,
he'll get through four or five innings pretty quick.''
Cincinnati scored a run in each of the first three innings off Moyer, who is 0-3 with a no-decision in May. He has given up
22 runs and 31 hits in 18 1-3 innings during the month. Hanigan's first homer of the season was the seventh off Moyer in May.
In his two previous starts, Moyer was rocked for 14 runs in only 6 2-3 innings, pushing his ERA to 8.15.
Notes: Ibanez's career high for homers was 33 with Seattle in 2006. He hit 23 last season. ... Moyer got Bruce and Taveras
with moves to first base as they took off trying to steal. ... Reds RH
Edinson Volquez
felt stiffness in his back when he tried to throw in the bullpen, and recommended to manager
Dusty Baker
that he skip his next scheduled start. Volquez left a game on Saturday because of back spasms. ... 1B
Joey Votto
saw two more doctors Wednesday to try to find out why he's having dizzy spells. He has missed both games of the series.
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