Hammond Takes a Turn for Better in Reds’ Win

Chris Hammond answered the challenge.

The pitcher, passed over for his previous turn in the Reds’ rotation, pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings Monday to stop his four-game losing streak as Cincinnati beat the Houston Astros 4-0.

“It was a big game for him and a big game for us,” said Reds manager Lou Piniella, whose team begins a three-game series Tuesday with Atlanta, the National League West leader.

“He seems to pitch better after a layoff,” Piniella said. “That’s been a pattern. He needed it, as well as us.”

Hammond (6-6) hadn’t won since June 17. He allowed five hits, struck out four and walked none before Rob Dibble and Scott Ruskin finished with hitless relief.

“If he doesn’t walk anybody, he’s going to be tough,” said Bip Roberts, who was 3 for 5 and scored twice. “He threw a gem of a ballgame today.”

Hammond lasted just 2 2-3 innings his last time out, giving up 10 hits and five runs in an 8-2 loss at St. Louis on July 24.

“He went back to the pitch that got him here, the changeup” catcher Rick Wrona said. “His fastball got us ahead in the count, and he got them swinging at a lot of first pitches.”

Jimmy Jones (4-5) gave up eight hits and three in five innings for the Astros, who dropped to 3-4 on their 26-game, 28-day road trip.

“Hammond got a lot of first-pitch strikes, and that was the difference -- Jimmy didn’t,” Houston manager Art Howe said.

Hal Morris, who left the game in the eighth with a sore right knee, homered and drove in two runs for the Reds. It was the seventh shutout for the Cincinnati staff and the 14th time Houston has been blanked.

“They pitched better against us than the Braves did,” Howe said. The Astros beat Atlanta two out of three before losing three out of four to the Reds.

Roberts led off the first with a single, stole second, took third on Barry Larkin’s fly out and scored on Morris’ single.

Morris hit an opposite-field homer in the third, his fifth, and the Reds made it 3-0 in the fourth when Chris Sabo doubled, took third on an infield out and scored on Hammond’s sacrifice fly.

Roberts doubled in the seventh and--after a 1-hour, 24-minute rain delay--scored on Bill Doran’s single off pitcher Rob Murphy’s glove.