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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Jamey Wright laughs when he hears batters
gleefully calling Miller Park a hitter's haven.
|  | | Jamey Wright comes close to tossing a no-hitter in the second-ever game at Miller Park. |
He spent four seasons pitching in Colorado's thin air, so the
controlled climate of the Milwaukee Brewers' new ballpark is a
pitcher's utopia.
"Anywhere that my sinker's going to sink and my curveball's
going to curve, that's paradise for me," Wright said.
Wright held Cincinnati hitless until the seventh inning and the
Brewers beat the Reds 6-1 Saturday in the first day game at Miller
Park.
Aaron Boone ended Wright's no-hit bid with one out in the
seventh when he looped a ball up the middle that second baseman
Ronnie Belliard couldn't reach for a single.
Wright (1-1) left after giving up a leadoff homer to Jason LaRue
in the eighth, which kept the Reds from being shut out for the
first time since 1999.
Wright, who lost to Los Angeles 1-0 in the season opener when he
surrendered a solo homer to Gary Sheffield, breezed through the
first six innings unscathed.
The Reds put runners at first and third on a throwing error and
a walk in the sixth. But with one out, Dmitri Young swung through a
high heater with the count full and Barry Larkin was thrown out by
catcher Henry Blanco for an inning-ending double play.
Wright also had a nice day at the plate. He started a three-run
burst off Pete Harnisch (0-1) in the third by drawing a leadoff
walk and scoring on Tyler Houston's RBI single.
Wright came up with two runners on and nobody out in the bottom
of the sixth and, after faking a bunt, lined a single to center off
Scott Winchester. However, Jose Hernandez was called out on a close
play a the plate.
Belliard's run-scoring single made it 4-0, and Wright scored
from third when Winchester hit Richie Sexson on his left elbow with
the bases full.
After the long half-inning, Wright walked Sean Casey leading off
the seventh before striking out Alex Ochoa on a full-count
fastball.
Boone hit the next pitch up the middle to break up Wright's bid
for the first no-hitter by a Brewers pitcher since Juan Nieves
throttled Baltimore on April 15, 1987. Ruben Rivera then hit into
an inning-ending double play.
Belliard said he had trouble seeing the ball come off Boone's
bat because of the late-inning sunlight and shadows at Miller Park.
Wright's play to go after hitters more this year has already
paid off.
"I want contact. I'm not scared of giving up a three-run
homer," he said. "I don't play at Coors Field anymore, so I don't
have to worry about that."
Milwaukee manager Davey Lopes said Wright's change of scenery
has made all the difference.
"He's in the right place at the right time with the right
people and we believe that he's going to right that ship for us,"
Lopes said.
That's a lot of rights for Wright.
Harnisch allowed three runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings,
including a two-run double to Jeromy Burnitz in the third. Harnisch
sounded flustered about getting the early hook from manager Bob
Boone.
"It's a 3-0 game, it's not an 8-0 game," Harnisch said. "It
gets treated like it's an 8-0 game for the pennant around here.
It's kind of tough."
Geoff Jenkins' sacrifice fly in the eighth off Scott Sullivan
made it 6-1.
Even though it was 75 degrees outside, Milwaukee's warmest day
in six months, the roof and outfield panels stayed closed because
of high winds.
Temporary tarps on the uncompleted roof flapped violently in the
winds, producing racket that echoed throughout the expansive
ballpark. It sounded like drums at times and even thunder.
Ray King, who got the last five outs, said he was bothered more
by the sun streaming through the giant west windows than he was by
the wind blasts.
"Especially for a left-hander, as soon as I released it, I was
looking right at the sun. It was just a glare. I couldn't see the
ball on the way to the plate," King said. "Luckily, nothing came
back at me."
Game notes
The Reds optioned RHP Rob Bell, who started Friday night,
to Triple-A Louisville and brought up LFP Justin Atchley before the
game. Atchley made his major league debut in the fifth and retired
the only batter he faced. ... The Reds haven't been shut out in 169
games.
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High winds creating havoc at Milwaukee's Miller Park
RECAPS
Baltimore 4
Cleveland 2
Toronto 3
NY Yankees 2
Detroit 5
Chi. White Sox 3
Kansas City 5
Minnesota 3
Oakland 4
Anaheim 2
Boston 6
Tampa Bay 2
Seattle 6
Texas 5
Chicago Cubs 8
Philadelphia 4
Milwaukee 6
Cincinnati 1
Montreal 10
NY Mets 0
Pittsburgh 5
Houston 3
San Diego 14
Colorado 10
St. Louis 8
Arizona 4
Florida 8
Atlanta 0
Los Angeles 10
San Francisco 4
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