Bronson Arroyo gave up ten earned runs in one inning plus and took his seventh loss of the season, while A.J. Burnett pitched eight strong innings for the Blue Jays and cruised to his seventh victory of the year.

Scott Rolen, Gregg Zaun and Alex Rios homered for Toronto, and eight different Jays had multiple-hit nights.  Jay Bruce drove in the lone Reds run with a sacrifice fly.

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Johnny Cueto duelled Andy Pettite for five innings, but did not come back out after an hour-long rain delay, and the Yankees found the offerings of the Reds bullpen more to their liking, scoring three in the sixth off Gary Majewski and Jeremy Affeldt.  Jason Giambi was 3-for-3 with two RBI for the Yankees.  Ken Griffey Jr. hit a solo homer for the Reds’ only run.  Mariano Rivera pitched the final inning and a third to earn his 21st save of the year.

A bearded Jeff Keppinger, activated before the game, started the game at shortstop, but briefly moved to third when Edwin Encarnacion developed back spasms.  Andy Phillips was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Keppinger.

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Daryl Thompson pitched five scoreless innings in his major-league debut, and Bill Bray picked up the win in relief as the Reds offense finally broke through against Yankee pitching in the seventh and eighth innings.  Edwin Encarnacion, Brandon Phillips, and Corey Patterson drove in two runs apiece, Patterson with the 100th home run of his career.

Thompson was activated before the game when Jolbert Cabrera went on the DL.

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Edinson Volquez had yet another quality start, giving up only two runs in seven innings pitched, and got his tenth win before the halfway point of the season.  Joey Votto had three hits including his twelfth homer of the year.  Jolbert Cabrera went four-for-four, avoided a tag at home plate with a brilliant slide, but severely dislocated a finger sliding headfirst into second and will be headed to the DL.

Daryl Thompson will be activated tomorrow to pitch the second game of the series.  We will have to wait and see if he will simply take Cabrera’s spot on the roster, or if other moves will be made.

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Aaron Harang had a subpar start, lasted only five innings and suffered his tenth loss of the season, while young Dodger lefty Eric Stults stymied the Reds hitters for six innings to earn his first win of the year.  James Loney went 3-for-4, while Matt Kemp hit his sixth home run and drove in three for the Dodgers.  Brandon Phillips and Norris Hopper had two hits each for the Reds.  The loss completed a 2-7 homestand for the Reds.

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Dusty Baker flip-flopped Joey Votto and Corey Patterson in the order, but it didn’t help much, as the only Reds run scored on a solo homer by Edwin Encarnacion.  Meanwhile, Bronson Arroyo gave up six Dodger runs in six and one-third innings.  Brandon Phillips had two hits and turned a spectacular double play.  James Loney and Juan Pierre drove in two runs each, and starter Derek Lowe picked up the win for the Dodgers.

Norris Hopper, activated from the DL before the game, pinch-hit for Patterson and played a couple of innings in center.  Hopper had a single and a base on balls, but was stranded in scoring position both times.  To make room for Hopper on the roster, Homer Bailey was optioned back to Louisville.

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Johnny Cueto pitched a good ballgame for the Reds, but Chad Billingsley shut down the Reds offense as the Dodgers beat the Reds, 3-1.

Pinch-hitter Javier Valentin drove in the only Reds run with a groundout in the seventh.  Joey Votto collected two of the Reds’ six hits on the night.  Jeff Kent went three for four for the Dodgers.

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Homer Bailey lived up to his name, surrendering three of them in two and one-third innings, as a Red Sox lineup without either Manny Ramirez or the injured David Ortiz cruised to a 9-0 victory behind Josh Beckett (7-4) and two Sox relievers.  Joey Votto was three-for-four for the Reds, and Jolbert Cabrera, getting a start at shortstop, was two-for-three, but since they were widely separated in the batting order, it still added up to zero runs.

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Kevin Youkilis and Coco Crisp hit back-to-back homers in the top of the tenth to beat Mike Lincoln and the Reds, 6-4.  Edwin Encarnacion had sent the game into extra innings with a two-out, two-strike, bottom-of-the ninth homer off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon.  Earlier solo homers by Adam Dunn and Brandon Phillips, and a pinch-hit RBI single by Javier Valentin, accounted for the rest of the Reds runs.  Tim Wakefield and Edinson Volquez, the starting pitchers, duelled for seven innings before turning the game over to the bullpens.

Before the game, Danny Herrera was sent back to Louisville when Gary Majewski was reinstated from the bereavement list.

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Jay Bruce got the Reds off to a good start in interleague play with a leadoff home run in the first, and starter Aaron Harang, setup man Jared Burton, and closer Francisco Cordero limited the Bosox to one run on five hits.  Harang got only his third win of the season, but looked like his old self.  Sean Casey, playing first base for the Red Sox, also looked pleasantly familiar.  Adam Dunn blasted a solo homer, and Joey Votto hit a run-scoring double.  Manny Ramirez drove in the lone Sox run.

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