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Perez stellar on mound as Nats snap nine-game skid

Fri 1st, August 2008

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Odalis Perez took it upon himself to snap the Nationals' nine-game losing streak, as the veteran allowed just three hits while pitching into the eighth inning in Washington's 5-2 victory over the Ken Griffey Jr.-less Cincinnati Reds.

Perez (4-8) went 7 1/3 innings, his longest outing of the season, while giving up just one run with three walks and five strikeouts in the opener of a three- game weekend series.

Elijah Dukes and Jesus Flores each drove in a pair of runs for the victors.

A day after sending one of the most productive players in baseball history to the Chicago White Sox, the Reds mustered just four hits in the club's sixth loss in seven games. Jay Bruce hit a solo home run in defeat.

Homer Bailey (0-5) continued his struggles on the mound with his shortest outing of the season. The highly touted prospect lasted just two innings after being pounded for five runs on seven hits and a walk.

The Reds bullpen, which featured three innings of one-hit, no-run ball from newly-acquired Nick Masset, was solid in six scoreless innings

Washington ripped into Cincinnati's young starter early. Willie Harris and Dukes singled to open the home first, with each moving up a base on a wild pitch and scoring on Flores' single through the left side of the infield.

Three more runs in the second ended Bailey's lackluster performance thanks to some new blood in the Washington lineup. Alberto Gonzalez, acquired from the New York Yankees on Thursday for minor-league pitcher Jhonny Nunez, doubled and came home when Emilio Bonifacio singled up the middle.

Bonifacio, who was called up from Triple-A Columbus to play in his first game with the Nats, scored later in the inning on Dukes' two-run double into the left field corner.

The Reds plated a run in the fourth, as Jeff Keppinger doubled, moved up 90 feet on a ground out from Bruce, and crossed home on Brandon Phillips' grounder to short.

The only other time the Reds threatened against Perez was when pinch-hitter Jolbert Cabrera tripled with one away in the eighth. Saul Rivera came on in relief to induce a ground out from Jerry Hairston Jr. and a strikeout from Keppinger to end the threat.

Bruce smacked an 0-2 slider off Joel Hanrahan over the right field wall to open the ninth, but it was too little, too late for Cincy.

Game Notes

Bonifacio, formerly of the Arizona Diamondbacks, joined the Nationals in a trade for reliever Jon Rauch in mid-July. To make room for Bonifacio on the roster, the Nats optioned pitcher Garrett Mock to Columbus before Friday's game. Washington also activated pitcher Ryan Wagner from the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Columbus...Masset and second baseman Danny Richar were acquired from the White Sox for Griffey... Hairston was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the game. To make room on the roster, Cincy optioned pitcher Todd Coffey to Triple-A Louisville...Cincinnati still leads the season series, 4-1.

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