Arroyo finishes off sweep of Reds

BOSTON -- The rotation has spun quite rapidly from a cause of great distress to the spark of the first four-game winning streak the Red Sox have produced in over a month. Bronson Arroyo proved to be a most worthy encore to the stellar outings of Tim Wakefield, Matt Clement and David Wells the previous three days.
Arroyo busted out of a personal slump by pitching seven solid innings, leading the Red Sox to a 6-1 victory over the Reds, giving Boston the three-game sweep.

The Sox go into Thursday's off-day on a solid note, with this string of four consecutive victories their best stretch since taking five in a row from May 3-8.

Just a week ago, Boston starters took a pounding on a 2-4 road trip through St. Louis and Chicago. But one by one, the rotation has righted itself. Wade Miller will try to keep a good thing going on Friday night against the Pirates.

"I think everything in baseball is contagious," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "When you're going well, guys are picking each other up, making breaks, catching a break or two and taking advantage. Our record at this time of year, I think we all wish it was a little better. But it is what it is."

It will be a lot better, and soon, if this recent surge of pitching becomes the norm.

Arroyo (5-3) scattered six hits and a run, walking two and striking out eight in his first win since May 5. After watching what his rotation mates did the three previous nights, Arroyo couldn't wait to take the ball.

"Wake started us out in Chicago," said Arroyo. "It was a blessing because everything is contagious, when you're pitching good, everybody is pitching good. You just keep wanting to roll. Everybody picks each other up, and you're like, 'All right, it's your turn, here you go.' When things are going bad, sometimes it can be the same."

The collective slump of the rotation through those steamy days and nights at Busch Stadium and Wrigley Field now seems like a blur, as Sox starters have gone 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA over the last four games.

Likewise, the bats -- despite the weather slipping back to April temperatures the last two nights -- have been doing their part.

Edgar Renteria sparked a rally in the second by belting a one-out double to left. That set up an RBI opportunity for David Ortiz, who crushed an double into a howling wind to give the Sox a 1-0 lead.

It remained a tightly contested game until the fifth inning, when the Sox erupted against Reds right-hander Aaron Harang. With two on and nobody out, Ortiz again took a big swing, and collected a two-run double off the Green Monster in left-center.

Without a doubt, Ortiz's second double would have been long gone on most mid-June nights at Fenway, not to mention just about any other park.

"Boy, if that ball was hit on a hot summer day here, it might have hit the Majestic sign behind the Green Monster," said the revitalized Kevin Millar. "That ball was smoked."

Ortiz didn't argue.

"When the wind is blowing in, no one can hit the ball out," said the big DH. "You've got to crush the ball to hit [it] out. You can't hit a ball [any] harder than that."

Bill Mueller didn't try. With the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth, the third baseman laced a two-run single to right to give the Sox a 5-0 lead.

The Reds were in a 6-0 hole by the time they pushed their first run across against Arroyo in the top of the seventh.

"I still think it comes down to our pitching," said Sox catcher Jason Varitek. "Fact of the matter is, Bronson kept them where they were until we got something going."

And once Arroyo left, Mike Timlin (one inning, two strikeouts) and Keith Foulke (struck out the side in the ninth) completed the mission of stifling the Reds.

"Our starting pitching is doing the job; it's holding the hitters down," said Ortiz. "When you do that, with the kind of hitters we have on this ballclub, you're pretty much going to see a win."

Source: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/