GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: ATLANTA (66-61) at CINCINNATI (56-70)

NL: ATLANTA at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">NL AT CINCINNATI - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: B Wickman relieved T Yates.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 7
CINCINNATI 7 BOTTOM, 12TH

DUE UP FOR CINCINNATI: K Griffey Jr (.281, 1-FOR-4, RBI)</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">NL AT CINCINNATI - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY ADAM DUNN (35) TO RIGHT WITH 1 OUT IN
THE 12TH OFF BOB WICKMAN SCORED BRANDON PHILLIPS.

FINAL SCORE: CINCINNATI 9, ATLANTA 7</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">NL FINAL 12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
- - - - - - - - -
ATLANTA 1 0 0 1 3 0 2 0 0
CINCINNATI 0 5 0 0 1 0 1 0 0

10 11 12 R H E
-- -- -- - - -
ATLANTA 0 0 0 7 13 1
CINCINNATI 0 0 2 9 11 0 (FINAL 12)

BATTERIES: ATL - BUDDY CARLYLE, RON MAHAY (6TH), PETER MOYLAN (7TH), RAFAEL
SORIANO (8TH), MANNY ACOSTA (10TH), TYLER YATES (11TH), BOB
WICKMAN (12TH) AND BRIAN MCCANN, CORKY MILLER (10TH)

CIN - ELIZARDO RAMIREZ, GARY MAJEWSKI (5TH), MIKE
STANTON (6TH), BILL BRAY (7TH), JARED BURTON (8TH), EDDIE
GUARDADO (9TH), KIRK SAARLOOS (10TH), MIKE GOSLING (12TH) AND
JAVIER VALENTIN

HOME RUNS: ATL - MARK TEIXEIRA (10) OFF ELIZARDO RAMIREZ IN THE 4TH, 0 ON
CHIPPER JONES (21) OFF ELIZARDO RAMIREZ IN THE 5TH, 2 ON

CIN - JOSH HAMILTON (17) OFF BUDDY CARLYLE IN THE 2ND, 2 ON
EDWIN ENCARNACION (9) OFF PETER MOYLAN IN THE 7TH, 0 ON
ADAM DUNN (35) OFF BOB WICKMAN IN THE 12TH, 1 ON</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">NL FINAL 12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
- - - - - - - - -
ATLANTA 1 0 0 1 3 0 2 0 0
CINCINNATI 0 5 0 0 1 0 1 0 0

10 11 12 R H E
-- -- -- - - -
ATLANTA 0 0 0 7 13 1
CINCINNATI 0 0 2 9 11 0 (FINAL 12)

BATTERIES: ATL - BUDDY CARLYLE, RON MAHAY (6TH), PETER MOYLAN (7TH), RAFAEL
SORIANO (8TH), MANNY ACOSTA (10TH), TYLER YATES (11TH), BOB
WICKMAN (12TH) AND BRIAN MCCANN, CORKY MILLER (10TH)

CIN - ELIZARDO RAMIREZ, GARY MAJEWSKI (5TH), MIKE
STANTON (6TH), BILL BRAY (7TH), JARED BURTON (8TH), EDDIE
GUARDADO (9TH), KIRK SAARLOOS (10TH), MIKE GOSLING (12TH) AND
JAVIER VALENTIN


WP - MIKE GOSLING (2-0)
LP - BOB WICKMAN (3-3)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: ATL - MARK TEIXEIRA (10) OFF ELIZARDO RAMIREZ IN THE 4TH, 0 ON
CHIPPER JONES (21) OFF ELIZARDO RAMIREZ IN THE 5TH, 2 ON

CIN - JOSH HAMILTON (17) OFF BUDDY CARLYLE IN THE 2ND, 2 ON
EDWIN ENCARNACION (9) OFF PETER MOYLAN IN THE 7TH, 0 ON
ADAM DUNN (35) OFF BOB WICKMAN IN THE 12TH, 1 ON


TIME: 3:45 ATT: 22,052

PROBABLES: FLA - DONTRELLE WILLIS (8-12, 4.91)
CIN - AARON HARANG (12-3, 3.67)

PROBABLES: ATL - JOHN SMOLTZ (11-6, 3.05)
STL - KIP WELLS (6-13, 5.24)</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">ATLANTA (7) VS CINCINNATI (9) - FINAL IN 12 INNINGS

ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
W Harris lf 4 2 0 0 2 1 1 .308
K Johnson 2b 3 2 1 0 2 0 1 .294
T Yates p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Wickman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C Jones 3b 6 2 3 5 0 0 2 .337
M Teixeira 1b 5 1 2 2 1 2 1 .296
B McCann c 5 0 1 0 0 0 3 .274
C Woodward pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .203
C Miller c 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273
J Francoeur rf 6 0 0 0 0 0 4 .299
A Jones cf 4 0 3 0 1 0 0 .219
Y Escobar ss 5 0 2 0 0 0 3 .320
B Carlyle p 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .133
a-S Thorman ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .216
R Mahay p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
P Moylan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-M Diaz ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .343
R Soriano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M Acosta p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-M Prado ph-2b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .295

Totals 44 7 13 7 6 4 19

a-grounded to shortstop for B Carlyle in the 6th; b-grounded to shortstop for
P Moylan in the 8th; c-singled to right center for M Acosta in the 11th.

BATTING: 2B - C Jones 2 (33, M Stanton, E Ramirez); K Johnson (23, M Stanton).
HR - M Teixeira (10, 4th inning off E Ramirez 0 on, 0 Out), C Jones (21, 5th
inning off E Ramirez 2 on, 1 Out). S - K Johnson. RBI - C Jones 5 (73), M
Teixeira 2 (28). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Francoeur 1. GIDP
- S Thorman, M Diaz, J Francoeur. Team LOB - 8.

FIELDING: E - B Wickman (2, catch).


CINCINNATI ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Hamilton cf 5 1 2 3 1 1 1 .286
J Keppinger ss 6 1 1 0 0 1 4 .371
K Griffey Jr rf 5 0 1 1 1 0 1 .280
B Phillips 2b 6 2 1 0 0 1 3 .276
A Dunn lf 6 1 1 2 0 3 1 .262
S Hatteberg 1b 5 1 2 1 0 0 0 .299
J Valentin c 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 .290
E Encarnacion 3b 5 2 2 2 0 0 2 .268
E Ramirez p 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000
G Majewski p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
M Stanton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Bray p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-J Cantu ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .600
J Burton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
E Guardado p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-N Hopper ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .318
K Saarloos p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-J Ellison ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .111
M Gosling p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 46 9 11 9 4 7 14

a-walked for B Bray in the 7th; b-lined out to center for E Guardado in the
9th; c-grounded into fielder's choice to pitcher for K Saarloos in the
11th.

BATTING: 2B - S Hatteberg (24, B Carlyle); E Encarnacion (16, B Carlyle); J
Keppinger (11, B Carlyle); K Griffey Jr (19, B Carlyle); J Valentin (14, T
Yates). HR - J Hamilton (17, 2nd inning off B Carlyle 2 on, 2 Out), E
Encarnacion (9, 7th inning off P Moylan 0 on, 0 Out), A Dunn (35, 12th inning
off B Wickman 1 on, 1 Out). RBI - S Hatteberg (45), E Encarnacion 2 (52), J
Hamilton 3 (39), K Griffey Jr (78), A Dunn 2 (87). 2-out RBI - J Hamilton 3, K
Griffey Jr. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - B Phillips 2, J Keppinger
2. Team LOB - 7.

BASERUNNING: SB - E Ramirez (1, 2nd base off B Carlyle/B McCann).

FIELDING: DP: 4 (J Valentin-B Phillips, M Stanton-J Keppinger-S Hatteberg, B
Phillips-J Keppinger-S Hatteberg, J Keppinger-B Phillips-S Hatteberg).


----------------------------------------------------
ATLANTA - 100 130 200 000 -- 7
CINCINNATI - 050 010 100 002 -- 9

One out when winning run scored.
----------------------------------------------------

ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era
B Carlyle 5 6 6 6 1 3 1 5.00
R Mahay 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.19
P Moylan (B, 1) 1 1 1 1 2 0 1 2.05
R Soriano 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 3.59
M Acosta 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
T Yates 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 5.07
B Wickman (L, 3-3) 1/3 1 2 1 0 0 1 3.92

CINCINNATI ip h r er bb so hr era
E Ramirez 4 1/3 5 5 5 4 1 2 6.35
G Majewski 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 9.24
M Stanton (B, 3) 1 2 2 2 0 0 0 5.85
B Bray 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.59
J Burton 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.64
E Guardado 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 18.00
K Saarloos 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 7.67
M Gosling (W, 2-0) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.50

IBB - K Griffey Jr (by P Moylan), J Hamilton (by T Yates). Pitches-strikes: B
Carlyle 74-52; R Mahay 9-7; P Moylan 24-13; R Soriano 19-13; M Acosta 14-10; T
Yates 24-11; B Wickman 11-8; E Ramirez 74-40; G Majewski 12-10; M Stanton 9-8;
B Bray 8-6; J Burton 7-6; E Guardado 21-10; K Saarloos 33-21; M Gosling 15-11.
Ground balls-fly balls: B Carlyle 3-9; R Mahay 1-1; P Moylan 3-0; R Soriano
2-3; M Acosta 1-1; T Yates 1-1; B Wickman 1-0; E Ramirez 3-8; G Majewski 1-2; M
Stanton 2-1; B Bray 1-1; J Burton 3-0; E Guardado 1-1; K Saarloos 3-2; M
Gosling 1-1. Batters faced: B Carlyle 22; R Mahay 3; P Moylan 6; R Soriano 7; M
Acosta 3; T Yates 6; B Wickman 3; E Ramirez 21; G Majewski 5; M Stanton 4; B
Bray 3; J Burton 3; E Guardado 4; K Saarloos 8; M Gosling 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Jerry Layne. 1B--Bill Miller. 2B--Chad Fairchild. 3B--Ed
Montague.
EJECTIONS: ATLANTA's Cox by Layne (3rd), ATLANTA's Pendleton by Layne (6th).
T--3:45. Att--22,052.
Weather: 99 degrees, clear. Wind: 14 mph, in from
right.</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
ATLANTA 7
CINCINNATI 9 FINAL</div>

 

NL: ATLANTA at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATLANTA (7) AT CINCINNATI (9) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ATLANTA 1ST: W Harris walked. K Johnson sacrificed to third, W Harris to
second. C Jones doubled to deep left, W Harris scored. M Teixeira walked.
B McCann grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, C Jones out at third,
M Teixeira to second. J Francoeur fouled out to first. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
ATLANTA 1, CINCINNATI 0.

CINCINNATI 2ND: B Phillips singled to right. A Dunn flied out to left.
S Hatteberg doubled to deep center, B Phillips scored. J Valentin walked.
E Encarnacion hit a ground rule double to deep center, S Hatteberg scored,
J Valentin to third. E Ramirez grounded into fielder's choice to third,
J Valentin out at home, E Encarnacion to third. E Ramirez stole second.
J Hamilton homered to left center, E Encarnacion and E Ramirez scored. J
Keppinger flied out to right. (5 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 1,
CINCINNATI 5.

ATLANTA 4TH: M Teixeira homered to right center. B McCann lined out to
second. J Francoeur flied out to right. A Jones singled to left. Y Escobar
grounded into fielder's choice to third, A Jones out at second. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) ATLANTA 2, CINCINNATI 5.

ATLANTA 5TH: B Carlyle struck out swinging. W Harris walked. K Johnson
walked, W Harris to second. C Jones homered to right center, W Harris and
K Johnson scored. G Majewski relieved E Ramirez. M Teixeira popped out to
second. B McCann grounded out to first. (3 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 5,
CINCINNATI 5.

CINCINNATI 5TH: G Majewski struck out swinging. J Hamilton lined out to
center. J Keppinger doubled to deep right. K Griffey Jr doubled to deep
right, J Keppinger scored. B Phillips lined out to right. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) ATLANTA 5, CINCINNATI 6.

ATLANTA 7TH: W Harris lined out to center. K Johnson doubled to deep left
center. C Jones doubled to deep left, K Johnson scored. B Bray relieved
M Stanton. M Teixeira singled to center, C Jones scored. B McCann flied out to
left. J Francoeur grounded into fielder's choice to third, M Teixeira out at
second. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 6.

CINCINNATI 7TH: P Moylan relieved R Mahay. E Encarnacion homered to left.
J Cantu hit for B Bray. J Cantu walked. J Hamilton grounded out to, J Cantu
tagged out at second. J Keppinger grounded out to third, J Hamilton to second.
K Griffey Jr intentionally walked. B Phillips grounded into fielder's choice
to third, J Hamilton out at third, K Griffey Jr to second. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 7.

CINCINNATI 12TH: B Wickman relieved T Yates. K Griffey Jr grounded out to
first. B Phillips safe at first on error by pitcher B Wickman. A Dunn homered
to right, B Phillips scored. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 9.</div>

 

Dunn blasts walk-off homer to lift Reds over Braves

<h3>CINCINNATI 9, ATLANTA 7 (12 INNINGS)</h3>CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Adam Dunn was having a tough night untilBob Wickman took the mound.


Dunn hit a walk-off, two run home run to lead the CincinnatiReds to a 9-7 victory over the Atlanta Braves in 12 innings onThursday.


Josh Hamilton and Edwin Encarnacion also homered for the Reds,who took three of four from the Braves and have won 12 of 20 inAugust to pull out of last place in the National League Central.

It was Dunn's six career walk-off home run, and the second inhis career against Wickman (3-3), the Braves closer.Cincinnati's slugger hit a ninth-inning grand slam off Wickmanin an interleague contest last season when the burly relieverwas with Cleveland.


Dunn's blast obscured another stellar game from what is becomingone of the most prolific duos in the NL, Chipper Jones and MarkTeixeira, who combined to drive in all seven of Atlanta's runs.

Jones got the Braves off to a good start in the first, doublinghome Willie Harris from second base to forge a 1-0 lead.

The Reds wasted little time getting to Atlanta starter BuddyCarlyle, who set down the side in order in the first but raninto trouble in the second. Brandon Phillips singled leadingoff the frame and scored on Scott Hatteberg's one-out double.

After Javier Valentin walked, Encarnacion brought Hatteberg homewith a ground-rule double to deep center field to giveCincinnati a 2-1 lead. The rookie Hamilton extended the leadwith a three-run blast one batter later, his 17th homer of theseason.


Atlanta began its march back in the fourth, when Teixeiraclubbed a solo shot - his 10th homer in just 21 games sincecoming over from the Texas Rangers at the trading deadline.

Not to be outdone, Jones tied the game in the fifth with athree-run blast after back-to-back walks to Harris and KellyJohnson. Jones, who finished the contest with three hits, nowleads the National League with a .337 batting average.

The homer chased Reds starter Elizardo Ramrez after just 4 1/3innings. The 24-year-old righthander surrendered five runs andfive hits while walking four and striking out one.

Future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. put the Reds back on top,6-5, with an RBI double in the home half of the fifth.

Carlyle was lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth afterallowing six runs and six hits in five frames. It was the thirdstraight poor outing for the 29-year-old righthander, who losttwo in a row while allowing 12 runs in 9 1/3 combined inningscoming into Thursday's start.


Jones and Teixeira went back to work in the seventh to make suretheir starter would not get saddled with a third straight loss.Atlanta's sluggers each contributed run-scoring hits off apair of Cincinnati relievers to jump back on top, 7-6.

The lead would not stand, however, as Encarnacion provided hissecond RBI of the night by way of a solo homer off righthandedreliever Peter Moylan.

 

NL: ATLANTA at CINCINNATI

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATLANTA (7) AT CINCINNATI (9) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Atlanta Starting Lineups -- W Harris LF, K Johnson 2B, C Jones 3B, M Teixeira 1B,
B McCann C, J Francoeur RF, A Jones CF, Y Escobar SS, B Carlyle RHP.

Cincinnati Starting Lineups -- J Hamilton CF, J Keppinger SS, K Griffey Jr RF,
B Phillips 2B, A Dunn LF, S Hatteberg 1B, J Valentin C, E Encarnacion 3B,
E Ramirez RHP.

Umpires -- Jerry Layne (HP), Bill Miller (1B), Chad Fairchild (2B), Ed Montague (3B).

Gametime Weather: 99 degrees, Clear, wind in from right at 14 mph.


ATLANTA 1ST: W Harris walked. K Johnson sacrificed to third, W Harris to
second. C Jones doubled to deep left, W Harris scored. M Teixeira walked.
B McCann grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, C Jones out at third,
M Teixeira to second. J Francoeur fouled out to first. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
ATLANTA 1, CINCINNATI 0.

CINCINNATI 1ST: J Hamilton struck out looking. J Keppinger popped out to
shortstop. K Griffey Jr flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 1, CINCINNATI 0.

ATLANTA 2ND: A Jones popped out to first. Y Escobar singled to right.
B Carlyle bunt popped into double play, catcher to second, Y Escobar doubled off
first.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 1, CINCINNATI 0.

CINCINNATI 2ND: B Phillips singled to right. A Dunn flied out to left.
S Hatteberg doubled to deep center, B Phillips scored. J Valentin walked.
E Encarnacion hit a ground rule double to deep center, S Hatteberg scored,
J Valentin to third. E Ramirez grounded into fielder's choice to third,
J Valentin out at home, E Encarnacion to third. E Ramirez stole second.
J Hamilton homered to left center, E Encarnacion and E Ramirez scored.
J Keppinger flied out to right. (5 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 1,
CINCINNATI 5.

ATLANTA 3RD: Atlanta's Manager B Cox ejected by J Layne in the 3rd. W
Harris flied out to right. K Johnson flied out to center. C Jones flied out
to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 1, CINCINNATI 5.

CINCINNATI 3RD: K Griffey Jr flied out to center. B Phillips grounded out
to shortstop. A Dunn struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 1,
CINCINNATI 5.

ATLANTA 4TH: M Teixeira homered to right center. B McCann lined out to
second. J Francoeur flied out to right. A Jones singled to left. Y Escobar
grounded into fielder's choice to third, A Jones out at second. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) ATLANTA 2, CINCINNATI 5.

CINCINNATI 4TH: S Hatteberg flied out to center. J Valentin grounded out
to first. E Encarnacion popped out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
ATLANTA 2, CINCINNATI 5.

ATLANTA 5TH: B Carlyle struck out swinging. W Harris walked. K Johnson
walked, W Harris to second. C Jones homered to right center, W Harris and
K Johnson scored. G Majewski relieved E Ramirez. M Teixeira popped out to
second. B McCann grounded out to first. (3 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 5,
CINCINNATI 5.

CINCINNATI 5TH: G Majewski struck out swinging. J Hamilton lined out to
center. J Keppinger doubled to deep right. K Griffey Jr doubled to deep
right, J Keppinger scored. B Phillips lined out to right. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) ATLANTA 5, CINCINNATI 6.

ATLANTA 6TH: J Francoeur popped out to second. A Jones reached on infield
single to third. Y Escobar reached on infield single to third, A Jones to
second. S Thorman hit for B Carlyle. M Stanton relieved G Majewski. Atlanta's
Coach T Pendleton ejected by J Layne in the 6th. S Thorman grounded into double
play, pitcher to shortstop to first, Y Escobar out at second.(0 Runs, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) ATLANTA 5, CINCINNATI 6.

CINCINNATI 6TH: R Mahay relieved B Carlyle. A Dunn struck out swinging.
S Hatteberg flied out to left. J Valentin grounded out to first. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 5, CINCINNATI 6.

ATLANTA 7TH: W Harris lined out to center. K Johnson doubled to deep left
center. C Jones doubled to deep left, K Johnson scored. B Bray relieved
M Stanton. M Teixeira singled to center, C Jones scored. B McCann flied out to
left. J Francoeur grounded into fielder's choice to third, M Teixeira out at
second. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 6.

CINCINNATI 7TH: P Moylan relieved R Mahay. E Encarnacion homered to left.
J Cantu hit for B Bray. J Cantu walked. J Hamilton grounded out to, J Cantu
tagged out at second. J Keppinger grounded out to third, J Hamilton to second.
K Griffey Jr intentionally walked. B Phillips grounded into fielder's choice
to third, J Hamilton out at third, K Griffey Jr to second. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 7.

ATLANTA 8TH: J Burton relieved B Bray. A Jones singled to left. Y Escobar
grounded into fielder's choice to third, A Jones out at second. M Diaz hit for
P Moylan. M Diaz grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first,
Y Escobar out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 7.

CINCINNATI 8TH: R Soriano relieved P Moylan. A Dunn struck out swinging.
S Hatteberg grounded out to second. J Valentin grounded out to second. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 7.

ATLANTA 9TH: E Guardado relieved J Burton. W Harris grounded out to second.
K Johnson walked. C Jones flied out to right. M Teixeira struck out
swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 7.

CINCINNATI 9TH: E Encarnacion flied out to center. N Hopper hit for
E Guardado. N Hopper lined out to center. J Hamilton singled to center.
J Keppinger popped out to third. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 7.

ATLANTA 10TH: K Saarloos relieved E Guardado. B McCann singled to deep
right center. C Woodward ran for B McCann. J Francoeur grounded into double
play, shortstop to second to first, C Woodward out at second. A Jones walked.
Y Escobar grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, A Jones out at second.
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 7.

CINCINNATI 10TH: M Acosta relieved R Soriano. C Miller catching. K Griffey
Jr lined out to third. B Phillips struck out swinging. A Dunn grounded out to
pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 7.

ATLANTA 11TH: M Prado hit for M Acosta. M Prado singled to right center.
W Harris struck out bunting foul. K Johnson popped out to shortstop. C Jones
flied out to left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 7.

CINCINNATI 11TH: T Yates relieved M Acosta. M Prado at second base.
S Hatteberg singled to right center. J Valentin doubled to left, S Hatteberg to
third. E Encarnacion flied out to right. J Ellison hit for K Saarloos.
J Ellison grounded into fielder's choice to pitcher, S Hatteberg out at home,
J Valentin to third. J Hamilton intentionally walked, J Ellison to second.
J Keppinger struck out looking. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 7.

ATLANTA 12TH: M Gosling relieved K Saarloos. M Teixeira struck out
swinging. C Miller flied out to left. J Francoeur grounded out to third.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 7.

CINCINNATI 12TH: B Wickman relieved T Yates. K Griffey Jr grounded out to
first. B Phillips safe at first on error by pitcher B Wickman. A Dunn homered
to right, B Phillips scored. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) ATLANTA 7, CINCINNATI 9.</div>

 

Dunn blasts walk-off homer to lift Reds over Braves

<h3>CINCINNATI 9, ATLANTA 7 (12 INNINGS)</h3>CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Adam Dunn was having a tough night untilBob Wickman took the mound.


Dunn hit a walk-off, two-run home run to lead the CincinnatiReds to a 9-7 victory over the Atlanta Braves in 12 innings onThursday.


Josh Hamilton and Edwin Encarnacion also homered for the Reds,who took three of four from the Braves and have won 12 of 20 inAugust to pull out of last place in the National League CentralDivision.


It was Dunn's sixth career walk-off home run and second againstWickman (3-3), the Braves' closer. Cincinnati's slugger hit aninth-inning grand slam off Wickman in an interleague contestlast season, when the burly reliever was with Cleveland.

"It was a fastball. I was trying to run it in on him, figuringthat he was looking away," Wickman said. "It was the same thingI did to (Ken Griffey Jr.). I tried to sneak on by him."

Dunn left the clubhouse before the media was allowed to enter.

Cincinnati interim manager Pete Mackanin at first was moreconcerned that Brandon Phillips, who reached first on an errorby Wickman, had a good jump wasted on an attempted steal.

"When Adam swung the bat, the first thing I thought was, 'Pleasedon't foul it off,'" Mackanin said. "When I saw the ball inthe air, I didn't care anymore."


Mike Gosling (2-0) pitched a scoreless 12th for the win. Bothof his victories this season have come in extra innings againstthe Braves. He picked up his first win in a 15-inning contestin Atlanta on July 18.


"It felt great. You can rerun my quotes from the last time,"Gosling said. "You really want to come out on top in thesegames to make all the time and effort worth it."


"Eddie G (Guardado), (Kirk) Saarloos, and you can't forgetGosling, came up big," Mackanin said.


Gosling warmed up in the bottom of the 11th and watched Bravesreliever Tyler Yates pitch out of situation that saw runners onsecond and third with none out.


"I saw it, but I just reminded myself to stay focused and stayready," Gosling said.


"The 11th tore everybody's heart out, but Gosling was big,"Mackanin said.


Dunn's blast obscured another stellar game from what is becomingone of the most prolific duos in the NL, Chipper Jones and MarkTeixeira, who combined to drive in all seven of Atlanta's runs.

Jones got the Braves off to a good start in the first, doublinghome Willie Harris from second base for a 1-0 lead.

The Reds wasted little time getting to Atlanta starter BuddyCarlyle, who set down the side in order in the first but raninto trouble in the second. Phillips led off the frame with asingle and scored on Scott Hatteberg's one-out double.

After Javier Valentin walked, Encarnacion brought Hatteberg homewith a ground-rule double to deep center field, givingCincinnati a 2-1 lead. The rookie Hamilton extended the leadwith a three-run blast one batter later, his 17th homer of theseason.


"It was frustrating. I thought I had Hamilton struck out," saidCarlyle, who started his professional career in the Redsorganization. "I need to pitch deeper in games."


"No one did anything after we tied it," said Braves managerBobby Cox, who was ejected in the second inning for arguingCarlyle's 1-2 pitch to Hamilton was a strike. "We had himstruck out. That was three runs right there."


Atlanta began its march back in the fourth, when Teixeiraclubbed a solo shot, his 10th homer in just 21 games sincecoming over from the Texas Rangers at the July 31 non-waivertrade deadline.


Not to be outdone, Jones tied the game in the fifth with athree-run blast after back-to-back walks to Harris and KellyJohnson. Jones, who finished the contest with three hits, nowleads the NL with a .337 batting average.


The homer chased Reds starter Elizardo Ramirez after just 4 1/3innings. The 24-year-old righthander surrendered five runs andfive hits while walking four and striking out one.

Future Hall of Famer Griffey put the Reds back on top, 6-5, withan RBI double in the home half of the fifth.


Carlyle was lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth afterallowing six runs and six hits in five frames. It was the thirdstraight poor outing for the 29-year-old righthander, who losttwo in a row while allowing 12 runs in 9 1/3 combined inningscoming into Thursday's start.


Jones and Teixeira went back to work in the seventh to make suretheir starter would not get saddled with a third straight loss.Atlanta's sluggers each contributed run-scoring hits off a pairof Cincinnati relievers to jump back on top, 7-6.


The lead would not stand, however, as Encarnacion provided hissecond RBI of the night by way of a solo homer off righthandedreliever Peter Moylan.


"Their bullpen pitched great," Cox said. "So did ours, but itwas asking a lot of them. The last thing we needed was anextra-inning game."