THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012
MLB
PAGE 11B
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Mike Leake reaches down on the mound as San Francisco Giants' Angel Pagan, rear, rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning of Game 4 of the National League division baseball series Wednesday in Cincinnati.
Reds regroup after losing third game to San Fransico
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CINCINNATI — Cincinnati's ace is out of action. His replacement let the Reds down on Wednesday. Now, they are turning to Mat Latos — their biggest offseason addition — to avoid an unprecedented playoff meltdown.
The Reds saw the 2-0 lead they built in San Francisco evaporate as the Giants pounced on emergency starter Mike Leake for five runs in four-plus innings on the way to an 8-3 win that tied their best-of-five National League Division Series, 2-2.
Cincinnati now pins its hopes on Latos in Thursday's decisive Game 5. Latos, helping out after starter Johnny Cueto suffered a strained muscle in his right side one out into Game 1 of the series Saturday, pitched four effective relief innings in the Reds' 5-2 win at San Francisco.
"It's another game." Latos said. "It's a team that I'm comfortable with — a team that I've faced before. I'm just looking at it as another start. I've just got to go out there and pitch my game."
Right fielder Jay Bruce believes the Reds still have an edge in the series, even after two straight losses.
"All you can ask for is an opportunity," said Bruce, who went 0-for-3 on Wednesday. "We control our destiny. We feel like their backs are against the wall. This isn't their home field."
Rookie third baseman Todd Frazier echoed Bruce.
"We've just got to keep thinking we're still ahead," he said. "We know what we're capable of and know what we can do. They've got a little momentum, but we're at home, and the fans aere going to be behind us 100 percent."
The Reds hoped to bring Cueto — their leading winner at 19-9 in the regular season — back for Wednesday's game. Instead, they were forced to scratch him and replace him on the roster with Lease less than five hours before Wednesday's game. Angel Pagan hit Leake's second pitch for a home run and Gregor Blanco added a two-run shot in the second inning to give San Francisco the lead for good.
The Reds hoped to bring Cueto
Leake, making his post-season debut, allowed six hits and five runs with two walks and one strikeout in 4 1-3 innings.
"It felt like there were more fans, but it was still another game," he said about his first postseason appearance. "I would like to have done a little better. They were putting good swings on the ball, but it was mainly me missing spots and them taking advantage."
Latos, acquired last December from San Diego for four players, lost his first two decisions with Cincinnati before beating the Giants, 9-2, on April 24. He already had a history of acrimony with Giants fans dating back to 2010, when the Giants eliminated the Padres from contention and he responded by signing three baseballs for an off-season charity function and adding "I hate S.F." to his autograph.
Latos is the man the Reds want on the mound, manager Dusty Baker said.
"2012 was in 2010." Latos said.
"2012 is a little different. It's two years ago."
"You wish you had Johnny Cueto, but you don't," Baker said. "Right now, it's Mat's turn, and he's strong. He's on his regular turn, unlike his last time out."
The Reds haven't lost three straight games all season at Great American Ball Park, but they've lost five straight post-season games in Cincinnati since beating Los Angeles, 10-1, to clinch a 1995 NLDS.
MLB
Yankees outlast Orioles
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NEW YORK — Raul Ibanez lined a ninth-inning home run while pinch hitting for slumping Alex Rodriguez, then hit a lead-off homer in the 12th, giving the New York Yankees a stunning 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night for a 2-1 lead in their AL division series.
Phil Hughes will start for the Yankees on Thursday night in Game 4 of the best-of-five series. Chris Tillman or Joe Saunders will start for Baltimore.
Batting for baseball's highestpaid player, Ibanez homered to right-center with one out in the ninth inning off major league saves leader Jim Johnson to tie it at 2. He then hit the first pitch from Brian Matusz leading off the 12th.
Baltimore had won 16 straight extra-inning games, and had been
bration in what had been a demoralized Yankee Stadium crowd. Rodriguez led the cheers, raising an arm in the dugout and high-fiving injured star Mariano Rivera.
The Orioles won Game 2 and rode Miguel Gonzalez's pretty performance to a 2-1 lead in the ninth.
"It was a great experience. We do it as a team. We stay after it," ibanez said. "I'm blessed to come up and have the opportunity like that. We do it together, it's about a team and about winning."
But The Yankees limited Baltimore to one hit after Machado's homer in the fifth.
— the first time A-Rod had ever been pinch-hit for in a postseason game, according to STATS LLC.
Ibanez got that chance after Yankees manager Joe Girardi made the decision to bat for Rodriguez
"You're going to be asked a lot of questions if it doesn't work," Girardi said.
Rodriguez has 647 career home runs — he's chasing the all-time record of 762 by Barry Bonds — but was just 1 for 12 with no RBIs and seven strikeouts in this series when Girardi pulled him.
76-0 when leading after seven, before the Yankees stung them.
Robert Andino was doubled off second after leading off the ninth with a single and advancing on a sacrifice.
Closer Rafael Soriano pitched 1 1-3 innings and David Robertson went two, finishing off his outing by bumping into and tagging Andino to end the top of the 12th.
But Ibanez hit a 1-0 pitch into the seats, setting off a raucous cecle
Derek Jeter tied the score with an RBI triple in the third for the Yankees.
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