PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Ian Snell releases a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning of a baseball game.David Kohl/AP photo
CINCINNATI -- Luis Cruz's major-league debut Tuesday night was akin to his unlikely ascension to the big-leagues.
Some good, some bad.
Of the 10 players who joined the Pirates on Tuesday as part of the September roster expansion, Luis Alfonso Cruz Jr. was the most unexpected.
The son of a Mexican League star center fielder, Cruz Jr. wasn't even on the 40-man roster 48 hours ago, but started at shortstop and batted second Tuesday night.
"Baseball, I love it," he said. "I'm happy to be here."
With a lot of new faces in a standing-room-only clubhouse, the slumping Pirates snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Brandon Moss and Andy LaRoche hit back-to-back homers off Reds starter Aaron Harang (4-15) in the second inning. It was LaRoche's first RBI since Aug.16 and his first run scored since Aug. 18.
"It was a good feeling," LaRoche said.
Moss finished 3 for 4 for his first career three-hit game.
It marked only the first time since Aug. 3 and the second time since the trade deadline -- when LaRoche and Moss were acquired -- that both players drove in a run in the same game.
"It's always a good feeling hitting a home run," LaRoche said. "It's even a better feeling with us getting a win. September is a new month. Hopefully, we can start rolling now."
The win comes after a brutal 7-21 August in which the Pirates fell into last place in the NL Central.
"We've been really pressing these past few games to get a win," Moss said. "It's a roller coaster ride. You have your ups and downs, and we just went through a prolonged down."
Winning pitcher Ian Snell scored the go-ahead run in the third.
With the score tied at 2-all, Snell, a career .086 hitter, drew a lead-off walk, moved to third on Nyjer Morgan's double and scored on Nate McLouth's one-out grounder for a 3-2 lead.
The Pirates nearly added another home run in the sixth inning, but Reds center fielder Corey Patterson robbed Adam LaRoche, pulled the ball back from over the wall nearly 400 feet away from home plate.
Still, Matt Capps pitched a perfect ninth for his 18th save. It was the first save since June 21 for Capps, who returned 10 days ago from a seven-week stint on the disabled list.
"It's a great feeling," Morgan said. "It shows the guys are out here working hard and we are just battling. Guys aren't getting down. We've just got to deal with it."
Snell (6-10) settled down after allowing a home run to Reds rookie Chris Dickerson to open the game. He allowed two runs -- one earned -- on seven hits over six innings. He struck out five and walked two.
"I was just keeping my fastball down and mixing pitches up," Snell said. "(Catcher Ryan) Doumit called a good game and we executed my sinker a little bit more to the lefties, and that's what got them to ground out and pop up."
Cruz, 24, said he "cried" when he learned he was among the 10 players from Indianapolis who were joining the big club about 100 miles away. They hopped on a chartered bus and traveled to join their new teammates in time for the 7:10 p.m. start.
Andy LaRoche (right) is congratulated by Ian Snell (left) after LaRoche hit a solo home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aaron Harang in the second inning.
David Kohl/AP photo
Cruz's father, also Luis Cruz, played in the Mexican League from 1983-2000. He hit more than 200 home runs and was nearly a career .300 hitter, but never played a game in the major leagues. Later this year, the Mexican League Hall of Fame will consider Cruz for induction.
"It was hard because I couldn't have any friends because we were always traveling, and I had to go with him," Cruz said. "When I turned 13, I just stayed home and my brother, and my mom went with my dad. I stayed home with my grandmother and go to school."
Cruz, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Indianapolis, started in place of Jack Wilson (bruised right index finger).
Cruz wasted no time following in his dad's footsteps. In his first major-league at-bat, he sent a broken bat single down the left-field line off Harang. He finished the night 1 for 4.
Cruz was caught stealing one batter later to begin an up-and-down night. He didn't handle a hot shot off Jay Bruce's bat in the second inning. He was tardy covering third base later in the inning, causing Snell to race to the bag as a back-up.
Then, with runners on second and third and no out in the third, Cruz popped out to shallow right.
Cruz was signed by the Pirates to a minor-league contract in December after playing 114 games last season in the San Diego Padres' farm system. He had spent six seasons in the Red Sox minor-league system, beginning as a 17-year-old out of Navojoa, Mexico about 300 miles west of the border.
He caught Russell's eye at spring training with his glove work and versatility. He played everything from middle infield to center field for the Pirates.
"I really like him," Russell said before the game. "I really like the athleticism. He really impressed us. We had a really good feeling about him when we left spring training."
The right-handed batting Cruz was hitting .325 with three home runs and 15 RBI in 31 games at Triple-A Indianapolis. He had homered three times in the past nine days when the Pirates purchased his contract. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates
unconditionally released right-handed pitcher Ty Taubenheim.
"I had a bad season last year," Cruz said. "They gave me an opportunity and I took advantage of it. I want to show what I've got and what I can do."
John Grupp can be reached at jgrupp@tribweb.com or 412-320-7930.
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