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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- So much for Milwaukee County Stadium.
And so much for Jeff D'Amico's shot at winning the National
League ERA title.
Elmer Dessens pitched a two-hitter for his first career complete
game as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-1 Thursday
in the final game at the 48-year-old ballpark.
"That was a nice way to end it," Reds manager Jack McKeon
said. "Blow it up."
The same teams are scheduled to open Miller Park -- probably
under its retractable roof -- with a night game next April 6.
"We're looking forward to it," said Sean Casey, who drove in
four runs to go with Dmitri Young's four hits, including two
triples, and four runs scored.
The Reds tagged D'Amico for six earned runs and 10 hits in six
innings. Afterward, D'Amico was taken to a hospital for an MRI on
his left ankle that revealed a partial tear of the tendon that
holds up the arch, team physician Dr. Bill Raasch said.
D'Amico turned his ankle running in the outfield Wednesday and
apparently aggravated the injury by going for the NL ERA title
Thursday.
D'Amico (12-7) gave up single runs in the first three innings on
Alex Ochoa's RBI single, Juan Castro's fourth home run and Casey's
run-scoring single. Casey made it 6-0 in the fifth with a three-run
homer.
With D'Amico struggling from the start and the Reds getting hits
in each of the first eight innings, the crowd of 56,354 -- the
largest ever at the ballpark for a regular-season game -- had little
to cheer.
But they applauded wildly in the middle of the fifth, when
Olympic hero Ben Sheets was introduced.
Sheets, the Brewers' top minor league pitching prospect, shut
out Cuba in the gold medal game at Sydney, Australia. He emerged
from the dugout with his medal dangling from his neck and waved to
the crowd as it chanted, "U-S-A! U-S-A!"
The crowd had hoped to see another gem by D'Amico, who bounced
back from multiple shoulder operations to challenge for the NL ERA
title.
D'Amico entered with a 2.42 ERA and needed to limit the Reds to
one earned run or fewer in seven innings to move ahead of Arizona's
Randy Johnson, who leads the NL with a 2.38 ERA and is scheduled
for one more start, Saturday against San Francisco.
Instead, D'Amico's ERA jumped to 2.66, dropping him into third,
behind the Dodgers' Kevin Brown.
Dessens (11-5) gave up a single to Raul Casanova in the third
and a triple to him in the sixth. His six strikeouts were a career
high, and he didn't walk a batter.
"Everything today was perfect, and the ball was moving,"
Dessens said.
Brewers manager Davey Lopes said he couldn't fault his batters.
"The problem with this club today was Elmer Dessens," Lopes
said. "D'Amico just didn't have much today."
Casey ended up with the last home run ever at County Stadium.
"That was a neat thing," he said. "It was a great atmosphere
and I was excited to play in the last game here."
He wasn't alone.
"I think I speak for all the guys who played here in the last
five years when I say I'm glad to see it go," Brewers outfielder
Jeromy Burnitz said. "We're glad to get into the new ballpark."
Game notes
The Brewers, who went 8-2 in their final homestand, have
never had a pitcher win a league ERA title, although the Milwaukee
Braves had two: Lew Burdette and Warren Spahn, who both
participated in postgame ceremonies. ... The previous player to
triple twice in a game for the Reds was Barry Larkin, on June 23,
1998, against Kansas City.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Cincinnati Clubhouse
Milwaukee Clubhouse
Off Base: Say no to Big Business
'The party's over' at Milwaukee County Stadium
RECAPS
Anaheim 6
Oakland 3
Texas 13
Seattle 6
Baltimore 23
Toronto 1
Minnesota 4
Cleveland 3
Tampa Bay 11
NY Yankees 3
Boston 7
Chi. White Sox 6
Kansas City 8
Detroit 5
Florida 7
Montreal 4
Philadelphia 4
Chicago Cubs 2
Arizona 12
Colorado 3
Cincinnati 8
Milwaukee 1
St. Louis 7
San Diego 6
Pittsburgh 3
Houston 2
NY Mets 8
Atlanta 2
San Francisco 5
Los Angeles 3
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