By ROB BUTCHER

The Cincinnati Reds

CINCINNATI — Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips is a three-time Gold Glover, a two-time All-Star and now he’s a Silver Slugger, too.

Phillips won the honor from the makers of Louisville Slugger bats on Wednesday as the top offensive second baseman in the National League. It’s the first such honor for the 30-year-old.

Phillips led NL players at the position with a .300 batting average, 183 hits, 279 total bases, 94 runs scored and 38 doubles. Cincinnati shifted Phillips to the leadoff spot on Aug. 17, and he batted .350 over his final 38 games to seal the deal.

Reds manager Dusty Baker, right, and catcher Ramon Hernandez walk off the field at Great American Ball Park for the final time this season after a 2-0 win. / DAVID KOHL/AP

Written by

Associated Press

More In Sports

‘);
$(‘#ody-nextstoryslider’).append(‘Read More’);
return;
}
var _art,_right,wpElem;
var _beenzagged=(function(){
var _u = GEL.env.user;
return(_u.state || _u.yob || _u.zip )?true:false;
})();
var _laststate=(function(){
var _t = new GEL.util.Cookie(‘GCIONSN’);
var _closed = _t.getValue(‘lastNextStoryState’);
return _closed;
})();
if(!_beenzagged){
getContent();
var _slidestate=_laststate==’false’?'handle’:”;
_art=$(‘.ody-skin .content-container .ody-article’);
_right=$(‘.ody-skin .ody-aside’);
wpElem=_art.height()>_right.height()?_art:_right;
var slider=GEL.widget.slider(wpElem,’ody-nextstoryslider’,{
close: ‘‘,
closeCallback: function(){
var _t = new GEL.util.Cookie(‘GCIONSN’)
_t.setValue(‘lastNextStoryState’,'false’)
},
direction: ‘right’,
handle: ‘‘,
openCallback: function(){
var _t = new GEL.util.Cookie(‘GCIONSN’)
_t.setValue(‘lastNextStoryState’,'true’)
},
offset: function(){
var offSet=$.waypoints(‘viewportHeight’)-($(‘.ody-skin .content-container .ody-article .ody-article-bodytext’).height()-$(‘.ody-skin .content-container .ody-article .ody-ob-taboola-wrapper’).height());
if(($(‘.ody-skin .content-container .ody-article .ody-article-bodytext’).height()-$(‘.ody-skin .content-container .ody-article .ody-ob-taboola-wrapper’).height())

CINCINNATI (AP)—Cliff Lee(notes) wanted one more out. Instead, the dominating
left-hander had to settle for the biggest share of another shutout, one that
swept the Philadelphia Phillies to new heights.

Lee got his sixth straight win on Wednesday night, coming up one out short
of another complete game, and Hunter Pence(notes) homered for the second straight game,
setting up a 3-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds that gave the NL East leaders
another big number.

They are 40 games over .500 for the first time this season, holding the
majors’ best record at 86-46. And there’s no wonder why. The Phillies lead the
majors with 19 shutouts.

“I didn’t know we have 19 shutouts,” Lee said. “I know we’ve got good
pitching and any day we’re capable of going out and shutting down another
offense.”

They have blanked the Reds the last two games and allowed a total of two
runs and 16 hits while taking the first three games of the series. It’s even
more impressive considering the Phillies had two unexpected days off over the
weekend because of Hurricane Irene, throwing the pitchers’ routines out of
whack.

“The starters—it’s unbelievable,” said closer Ryan Madson(notes), who got the
final out. “It just doesn’t seem like anything fazes them. They can do
anything. And it gives the whole team confidence when they’re out there.”

Cincinnati entered the series on a hot streak, winning four straight. The
Reds ran into an old problem—they can’t do anything against the Phillies’
pitching.

The Phillies swept them in the playoffs last season, with Roy Halladay(notes)
throwing a no-hitter. Philadelphia is 20-6 against Cincinnati lately, including
6-1 this season.

Lee (15-7) gave up only five hits through the first eight innings, then
retired the first two batters in the ninth. He gave up Joey Votto’s(notes) double,
walked Jay Bruce(notes) and hit Miguel Cairo(notes) with his 117th pitch, prompting manager
Charlie Manuel to let Madson finish it off.

Lee tried to talk Manuel out of making the pitching change.

“He asked me,” Manuel said. “I said I want Madson. He said, ‘You’re
sure?’ I said, ‘Damn sure.”’

Madson retired pinch-hitter Yonder Alonso(notes) on a foul pop for his 25th save in
27 chances. Lee wished he’d gotten the chance to get that last, elusive out.

“It’s not very often you go 8 2-3 and not give up a run and somehow not
feel good about it when it’s over,” Lee said. “It worked out. Madson came in
and got the guy out. It’s hard to question the move.”

Every time Lee takes the mound these days, it works.

Lee, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on Tuesday, hasn’t lost since July 25.
The left-hander has given up only six earned runs in his last six starts. He’s
been especially tough on the road, where he hasn’t allowed a run in his last 30
2-3 innings since July 19.

He went 5-0 in June and did an encore by going 5-0 in August.

“I hope I have a good September and October, too,” Lee said.

Philadelphia scored in the first inning when the Reds failed to turn a
double play with two runners aboard. Pence led off the sixth with his 18th homer
off left-hander Dontrelle Willis(notes) (0-4), extending his hitting streak to seven
games. Philadelphia scored another run on a forceout in the seventh.

No matter how well he pitches or hits, Willis can’t get a win. He gets the
lowest run support among Reds starters, and the bullpen has blown save chances
in three of his starts.

“Guys on the other side of the diamond are pitching well,” Willis said.
“So I’m not frustrated. I like being in those type of games anyway.”

Earlier Wednesday, the Phillies made a move to strengthen their bench,
acquiring outfielder John Bowker(notes) from Pittsburgh. Bowker spent most of the
season in the minors, batting .306 with 15 homers.

Bowker bats left-handed and can play left field, right field and first base.
He drove over from Triple-A Indianapolis to join the team for the game.

Notes: Lee was loudly booed in the fourth, when he grounded to second
baseman Brandon Phillips(notes), took a couple steps toward first, waved his right hand
and headed back to the dugout. … Reds SS Paul Janish(notes) extended his career-worst
slump to 0 for 26. … The Phillies have won all seven of their four-game series
this season. They have never had a four-game sweep in Cincinnati. … The
Phillies will start RHP Vance Worley(notes) in the final game on Thursday afternoon.
Worley had a no-decision in his May 24 start against the Reds, giving up three
runs in five innings. The Reds will go with RHP Mike Leake(notes), who has given up 11
runs in 14 1-3 innings of his two starts against Philadelphia. … The Reds plan
to call up seven players from the minors on Thursday, including C Devin
Mesoraco(notes), their top draft pick in 2007. It will be his major league debut.

Francisco Cordero came on to get the final three outs for his 24th save in 29 chances, although he needed a game-ending double play to get out of a bases loaded jam.

Ramon Hernandez drove in a run for the Reds on a groundout.

Ross Detwiler (1-3) pitched six innings, his longest outing of the season. He allowed one run and seven hits while striking out a career-high seven and walking two.

The only blemish for Detwiler was Votto’s 20th home run with two outs in the first inning.

Cueto, who opened the game by striking out the first three batters, narrowly missed his second shutout of the season. He leads the majors with a 1.89 ERA after the outing gave him enough innings to officially qualify.

Washington had runners reach third base in the second and fourth innings, but each time Cueto easily got out of the jam.

Cincinnati posed a scoring threat in the third when the Reds loaded the bases with one out. Brandon Phillips singled, Dave Sappelt doubled and Votto walked before Detwiler struck out Jay Bruce and Miguel Cairo hit a fly ball to shallow right field to end the inning.

The Reds picked up an insurance run in the eighth. They had a chance to pick up a few more but left the bases loaded.

Consecutive singles by Votto and Bruce against reliever Sean Burnett put runners on the corners with no outs. Cairo grounded sharply up the middle, and Burnett snagged it and threw to third to catch Votto, who had started for home on the play. Another walk by Burnett loaded the bases.

Ryan Mattheus replaced Burnett, and Hernandez hit a grounder up the middle that was fielded by shortstop Ian Desmond. A slight slip when Desmond fielded the ball left him unable to turn a double play, but he did throw out Hernandez while Bruce scored.

Another walk by Mattheus loaded the bases for Cueto, who grounded to second to end the inning.

Cordero entered after Zimmerman’s homer. After a groundout, Jayson Werth walked, Danny Espinosa singled and Jonny Gomes reached on shortstop Paul Janish’s error to load the bases. Wilson Ramos then grounded into a double play.

NOTES: Nationals RHP Steven Strasburg, who had Tommy John surgery last year, made his third minor-league rehab start for Class A Hagerstown. Nationals manager Davey Johnson said Strasburg may eventually replace RHP Jordan Zimmermann, who has an innings cap this season because of his 2009 Tommy John surgery. Johnson said Zimmermann likely has three more starts, and the manager speculated Strasburg may fill his spot on Sept. 2. … Desmond batted leadoff for the first time since April 14. … Phillips led off for the first time this season. … Zimmermann (7-10) starts Thursday against Reds RHP Bronson Arroyo (7-9) in the final game of the series.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Johnny Cueto pitched into the ninth inning and Joey Votto homered to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.

Cueto (9-5) held the Nationals scoreless until Ryan Zimmerman homered on his first pitch of the ninth inning. Cueto allowed six hits, struck out five and did not walk a batter.

Francisco Cordero came on to get the final three outs for his 24th save in 29 chances, although he needed a game-ending double play to get out of a bases loaded jam.

Ramon Hernandez drove in a run for the Reds on a groundout.

Ross Detwiler (1-3) pitched six innings, his longest outing of the season. He allowed one run and seven hits while striking out a career-high seven and walking two.

The only blemish for Detwiler was Votto’s 20th home run with two outs in the first inning.

Cueto, who opened the game by striking out the first three batters, narrowly missed his second shutout of the season. He leads the majors with a 1.89 ERA after the outing gave him enough innings to officially qualify.

Washington had runners reach third base in the second and fourth innings, but each time Cueto easily got out of the jam.

Cincinnati posed a scoring threat in the third when the Reds loaded the bases with one out. Brandon Phillips singled, Dave Sappelt doubled and Votto walked before Detwiler struck out Jay Bruce and Miguel Cairo hit a fly ball to shallow right field to end the inning.

The Reds picked up an insurance run in the eighth. They had a chance to pick up a few more but left the bases loaded.

Consecutive singles by Votto and Bruce against reliever Sean Burnett put runners on the corners with no outs. Cairo grounded sharply up the middle, and Burnett snagged it and threw to third to catch Votto, who had started for home on the play. Another walk by Burnett loaded the bases.

Ryan Mattheus replaced Burnett, and Hernandez hit a grounder up the middle that was fielded by shortstop Ian Desmond. A slight slip when Desmond fielded the ball left him unable to turn a double play, but he did throw out Hernandez while Bruce scored.

Another walk by Mattheus loaded the bases for Cueto, who grounded to second to end the inning.

Cordero entered after Zimmerman’s homer. After a groundout, Jayson Werth walked, Danny Espinosa singled and Jonny Gomes reached on shortstop Paul Janish’s error to load the bases. Wilson Ramos then grounded into a double play.

NOTES: Nationals RHP Steven Strasburg, who had Tommy John surgery last year, made his third minor-league rehab start for Class A Hagerstown. Nationals manager Davey Johnson said Strasburg may eventually replace RHP Jordan Zimmermann, who has an innings cap this season because of his 2009 Tommy John surgery. Johnson said Zimmermann likely has three more starts, and the manager speculated Strasburg may fill his spot on Sept. 2. … Desmond batted leadoff for the first time since April 14. … Phillips led off for the first time this season. … Zimmermann (7-10) starts Thursday against Reds RHP Bronson Arroyo (7-9) in the final game of the series.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame’s first two losses didn’t look good.

The Fighting Irish lost close games to ranked teams, but the way they happened really bothered coach Muffet McGraw. Notre Dame surrendered 86 points in a double overtime game against UCLA and 81 against Kentucky.

“We gave up a lot of points,” she said. “That was our main problem.”

There were offensive issues, too, on a team that lost four starters from the previous year’s Sweet 16 squad.

“We hadn’t quite jelled yet,” McGraw said. “We weren’t quite sure of what our roles were. We were still learning.”

The Fighting Irish had one more rough outing — a loss to Baylor that dropped them to 5-3 — before they hit their stride and rolled to the Final Four. They lost just four more games — three against Connecticut, their opponent in the national semifinals on Sunday, and a one-point loss at DePaul. Notre Dame allowed just 55.5 points per game this season, ranked fourth nationally in steals per game and ninth in rebounding margin.

“We matured a lot as a team, and we were able to close out games,” guard Natalie Novosel said.

Now, the Fighting Irish, who began the season ranked No. 12, have a shot at their first national title since 2001.

“I think we surprised a lot of people,” guard Skylar Diggins said. “Coach told me we had an opportunity to do great things this year.”

It just took a while. During the rough start, McGraw didn’t panic because she’d been down that road before.

“We were 2-2 after the Kentucky game, and I told the team in the locker room the ’97 Final Four team was 2-2,” she said. “And we lost to two unranked teams.”

So, instead of tearing her players down, she built them up.

“We’re right there,” she recalled telling them. “We’ve got to fix a couple of things, and we can be really good. I think they were able to stay positive and not really dwell on the losses.”

The losses include Connecticut winning 79-76 on Jan. 8, 78-57 on Feb. 19 and 73-64 on March 8.

Diggins feels good about the chances of a different outcome this time around.

“This team has great excitement and great momentum coming out of the Dayton region, so we’re excited to play them again,” she said.

The offense improved as players adjusted to new roles. Notre Dame ranks fourth nationally in field-goal percentage and 11th with 77.4 points per game. Six players average at least 7.1 points per game, and the leading scorer is not the dynamic Diggins but Novosel. She has almost tripled her scoring since last season and leads the team with 14.9 points per game.

“Everybody on the team is unselfish,” McGraw said. “They look for each other. They work together, they play together. It doesn’t matter who gets the points or who gets the attention, everybody just wants to win.”