Reds find their groove, preserve NL Central lead

CINCINNATI -- Not long after Ken Griffey Jr. reintroduced his home run trot, the Cincinnati Reds cranked up the music and launched into their clubhouse victory dance.

A long-awaited homer and a frantic finish had kept them in first place all by themselves.

Griffey homered for the first time since returning from a knee injury and Danny Graves pitched out of a bases-loaded threat in the ninth, preserving a 3-2 victory Thursday over the St. Louis Cardinals.

By splitting their rain-shortened series, the Reds kept sole possession of first place in the NL Central -- a source of pride in the clubhouse, where each win is followed by a brief bump-and-grind behind the clubhouse doors.

"I figure we might as well start printing playoff tickets because if we can make that many mistakes in a game and beat that team, they don't have a chance," manager Bob Boone said.

The Reds have been alone in first since April 26, a span of 42 days, but have spent much of the last two weeks looking over their shoulders. The Cardinals had trimmed a five-game deficit and could have pulled into a tie with a victory Thursday.

Instead, they got a two-game split, leaving them two games back.

"All year, they've beaten us up pretty good," Graves said, referring to the Cardinals' 6-3 advantage in the series. "We've beaten the teams that are down in last place and those kinds of teams, but you've got to beat the teams that are going to be there at the end. This was a huge game for us."

Graves made two huge plays to save it.

He lunged to field Eduardo Perez's grounder and get an out to open the ninth. After the Cardinals loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, Graves fielded Miguel Cairo's comebacker and threw home for the forceout.

J.D. Drew, who had homered off Gabe White in the eighth, then flied out to Griffey in center, giving Graves his 18th save in 23 chances.

The Cardinals loaded the bases three times in the game and got only one run out of the threats.

"We did an awful lot to get just those two runs," manager Tony La Russa said. "In that ninth inning, you can't do more as far as putting the ball in play. Give Graves credit -- that's Maddux-type, Gold Glove defense."

That's one point of view.

"Lucky fielding," Graves said. "I hold my glove out there and hope it goes in. I was hoping they'd hit it at somebody else."

Barry Larkin led off the Reds' first with his fourth homer and had a sacrifice fly in the fifth that put them ahead 3-1. Drew hit his ninth homer off White in the eighth.

The most encouraging sign for Cincinnati was Griffey's solo homer in the fourth off Woody Williams (2-2), a shot into the second deck in right field.

Griffey was without an extra-base hit since April 7, when he hit his first homer of the season -- also a solo shot -- and later tore the tendon in his right knee during a rundown. He sat out six weeks and had a tough time upon his return, managing only four singles in 28 at-bats.

"Did you all think I was going to stop at 461?" Griffey said, referring to his career total. "It was bound to happen. He got a pitch up, not as high as he'd like."

Not the first time, either. Griffey is 10-for-21 career off Williams with five homers, the most recent on a high, flat fastball.

"My son could have hit that pitch I threw him," said Williams, who has a 7-year-old son, Caden.

Griffey also walked, flied out and grounded out, leaving him 5-for-31 (.161) during his comeback.

Jimmy Haynes (6-5) repeatedly escaped threats as he went 5 1-3 innings and beat the Cardinals for the first time in three starts this season.

The Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs in the second, but managed only Perez's run-scoring forceout. They loaded the bases again in the sixth, but Scott Sullivan got Eli Marrero to ground into a double play.

Some unorthodox strategy by Boone set up the Reds' third run. After Todd Walker walked to open the fifth, Boone had slumping catcher Jason LaRue put down a sacrifice bunt, then let Haynes swing away.

Haynes, who brought a .095 average into the game, singled to center for his second hit of the game, moving Walker to third. Larkin drove him in with a fly ball.

Notes: The Cardinals open interleague play Friday in Kansas City. The Royals swept them in a three-game series last year and are 9-6 against the Cardinals overall. ... The Cardinals and the Reds both are 34-39 overall in interleague play since 1997. ... The Reds open a series in Anaheim, their first regular-season game against the Angels. Boone played seven years for the Angels and lives six miles from their ballpark. ... CF Jim Edmonds was out of the Cardinals' lineup for the fourth straight game with a sprained right wrist. ... Larkin has led off the first inning with a homer three times this season and nine times in his career.