Reds 11, Astros 1
Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs and Jim Edmonds homered and Bronson Arroyo pitched six strong innings as the Cincinnati Reds inched closer to securing a playoff spot with an 11-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday.
Ryan Hanigan chipped in three hits and two RBIs and Orlando Cabrera singled in a run for the Reds, who reduced their magic number for clinching the National League Central to eight.
The Astros jumped out to a quick lead on Carlos Lee’s solo homer in the second, but Cincinnati bounced right back in the third with two runs to take the lead. Cabrera got it started with his RBI single off Nelson Figueroa (5-3) and Scott Rolen added an RBI.
The Reds extended it in the fourth on Edmonds’ blast and grabbed four more in the fifth on Bruce’s two-run shot, Hanigan’s RBI single and a sacrifice fly from Arroyo.
That was plenty of support for Arroyo (16-10), who allowed just four hits while striking out five and walking one. His 16 wins are a new career high after notching 15 in each of the past two seasons.