baseball glove : Griffey turns tide with bat and glove

CINCINNATI -- He reintroduced himself to the crowd last night in Great American Ball Park, not that anyone in his hometown really ever had forgotten him.
Ken Griffey Jr. seized one moment with his glove and another with his bat to remind Reds fans why he remains an elite player despite the injuries that have dogged him the past six seasons. The two plays combined to turn the momentum of the game in Cincinnati's 7-3 victory.

With the Reds trailing the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 in the fifth inning, Griffey crashed into the wall in right center to take an extra-base hit away from Geoff Jenkins. Reds starting pitcher Elizardo Ramirez waited at first base to greet Griffey on his way back to the dugout.

In the bottom of the inning, Griffey stepped to the plate with two runners on base and lined a three-run homer into the seats in right. Jenkins, the Milwaukee right fielder, never turned to see where the ball landed.

The home run started the Reds on the way to victory and put them in position to sweep the three-game series if they can win tonight behind Brandon Claussen. Since he returned from a monthlong stay on the disabled list on May 11, Griffey has flashed his All-Star form enough to have hit three three-run homers and a grand slam. He added a sacrifice fly in the win last night and suddenly has 25 RBI, six behind team leader Adam Dunn, who has played in 26 more games.

“Junior is definitely one of the best hitters in baseball,” Reds manager Jerry Narron said. “I've said it, and all our staff has said it, he's going to still lead our club in RBI after missing a month. He's one of the best players in the game.”

Ramirez (2-3) smiled when asked what he wanted to tell Griffey after he robbed Jenkins.

“I just said, 'Nice play, thank you very much,' ” Ramirez said. “It was an unbelievable play. For me, I thought it was a home run, you know? I saw Junior catch the ball and I think, 'Oh my God.' I had to say nice play. It's fun to watch him play.”

Griffey, who declined comment after the game, got the Reds going against Dana Eveland (0-1) with a first-inning double. Rich Aurilia followed with a run-scoring single. Milwaukee grabbed the lead on a three-run double by Prince Fielder in the third. Griffey took it back with the 542nd homer of his career.

“His presence, you cannot put a price on it in the batting order,” Narron said. “You know you're going to get an outstanding at-bat. The big thing for us is if we can get guys on base in front of him where they have to pitch to him. We know we're going to get a good at-bat from him. Everything is just amazing how good a player he is after sitting for a month.”

Aurilia thought the Reds played well without Griffey. His return adds richness to the mix.

“He's going to affect a lineup the way (Barry) Bonds does or (Albert) Pujols does,” Aurilia said. “I'm just fortunate to be able to hit behind him. We're glad he's back. He's been playing some good defense for us and has hit some clutch home runs.

“It's sad, but that's what people expect from him. It's probably not fair to expect that all the time, but that's what people do. This is not an easy thing to do. It's not like we can expect it every time. But when it happens, it's not much of a surprise to us.”

By Jim Massie