It Takes Three

Man, some days that third out is so hard to get. Brian Burres was bobbin' and weavin' his way through the Reds for three innings, giving up one unearned run (on a two out double, natch) when the wheels fell off in the fourth.

He walked the first two batters on nine pitches and gave up a single to Drew Stubbs on an 0-2 pitch. But Burres coaxed a DP ball out of the next hitter, and with the pitcher up, he looked like he'd escape with a just a run in for the bad guys.

But he fell behind Adam Harang 3-0, and two pitches later he singled. The next hitter doubled, and Jeff Karstens came in to toss a little gas on the fire by giving up two more hits before getting that third out.

And they had chances; a high relay to the plate cost them one chance to end the inning, and a grounder that bounced a step away from Aki Iwamura somehow got past him. It was originally ruled an error, but since he completely whiffed on the ball, the scorer later changed to a hit. Giving a team five outs is a sure recipe for a big inning.

Instead of a 2-2 game, it was 6-2, and Cincy would never look back, winning 7-5. They tacked on another tally when Karstens was taken deep by Stubbs - with two away. If you're keeping count, that's six Red runs out of seven driven home with two gone.

The Bucs got their runs on a two run homer by Ronny Cedeno with two outs, two strikes, and the pitcher on deck, a two run double off the bat of Delwyn Young, who had three hits, and a sac fly from Garrett Jones. The hitters did their job tonight...if the team could only get that third out.

Paul Maholm will take on rookie wunderkind Mike Leake tomorrow night.

-- Ronny Cedeno wasted no time keeping his 15 game on-base streak alive; he homered during his first at bat in the second.

-- Steve Pearce sprained his ankle while chasing down a wayward toss from Delwyn Young from across the diamond. No word on how long he'll be out; he left the park on crutches and is scheduled for an MRI tomorrow. X-rays were negative for a break.

-- Andy LaRoche is getting more than a breather; he sat out his third game with stiffness in his back. Delwyn Young got to play the hot corner tonight.

-- Diego Moreno, 23, was promoted today from Bradenton to Altoona. The Venezuelan reliever is 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA in 26-1/3 innings, giving up eleven hits, two walks, and striking out 39 with a WHIP of 0.49. Pretty impressive stuff from the fireballer, who throws in the mid-nineties and touches 97.

-- Another Marauder, RHP Nathan Adcock, was named as the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week. He was 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA and twelve K's in twelve innings over that span.

-- C Robinzon Diaz found out the grass isn't always greener... After being cut loose by the Bucs after last season, he signed with the Tigers. He's hitting .216 at AAA Toledo.