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CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Aaron Harang got on the mound where he started 112 games with the Reds and had another pleasant night in Cincinnatis familiar muggy air -- even got some applause from fans, too. Made him feel right at home. Harang went six innings in the ballpark where he still holds the strikeout record, and Nick Franklin and Michael Saunders homered on Friday night, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 4-2 victory over the Reds. "I made many a start on that mound," said Harang, who had never pitched against the Reds at Great American Ball Park. "I got back out there and it felt like old times." Harang (4-7) limited his former team to a pair of runs and six hits, including Joey Vottos 15th homer. Oliver Perez struck out the side in the ninth for his second save. The Mariners are making their second visit to Cincinnati and their first to Great American Ball Park, which opened in 2003. In their other trip, they swept a three-game series at Cinergy Field in 2002. The Mariners are 9-1 all-time against the Reds. Seattle and Cincinnati will always have one notable baseball connection: Ken Griffey Jr., who grew up in Cincinnati, developed into one of the majors best with Seattle, and returned to his hometown in a trade before the 2000 season. Griffey finished his career in 2010, when he retired from the Mariners. Now, theres another. Harang pitched for the Reds from 2003-10, starting five season openers. He holds the record for most career strikeouts at Great American with 598, including his four on Friday night. The 35-year-old pitcher has kept in touch with several former Reds teammates and some of his former neighbours. When Homer Bailey threw his second career no-hitter on Tuesday night in Cincinnati, Harang got to watch part of it on television in Texas and sent along congratulations. "This is my second home," he said. The only time he felt out of place was when he warmed up in the visitors bullpen by the right-field line. "I was a little nervous when I first went out there today," he said. "It was an awkward feeling coming out from the other side of the field." He got over the awkward feeling fast. "It has to be a big deal for him," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "He spent a lot of years here, had a lot of good years here. The fans appreciated him. He went out and threw a good ballgame." Not so for Mike Leake (7-4). Franklin hit a two-run homer in the first inning. Saunders had a solo homer and a sacrifice fly off Leake, who lasted five innings. Leake originally was scheduled to pitch on Thursday against San Francisco, but got pushed back a day because of a rainout. Leake had allowed only nine earned runs in his last nine starts, going 5-1 with a 1.31 ERA. That stretch of fine pitching ended quickly. Brad Miller, batting leadoff for the first time, hit Leakes third pitch for a triple to right-centre. Franklin homered on the next pitch. "Those first two balls, theyve got two runs," Reds third baseman Todd Frazier said. "Youre surprised. They came out swinging. And with Harang throwing well and mixing his pitches and hitting his spots, thats a win." Saunders led off the second inning with his fifth homer. He hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth for a 4-0 lead, the most runs Leake had allowed in a game since May 8. Miller also tripled down the right-field line in the fifth but was stranded at third. Hes the first Mariner to have two triples in one game since Carlos Guillen in 2003 and the 13th overall, according to STATS LLC. Seattle slugger Raul Ibanez extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single. NOTES: The Reds honoured Homer Bailey on the field before the game for his second career no-hitter on Tuesday night against San Francisco. Jim Maloney, who also threw two no-hitters for the Reds, joined in the festivities and threw a ceremonial pitch to batterymate Johnny Edwards. ... Franklins homer gave Seattle 20 in the first inning this season, most in the majors. ... Saunders had been out of the lineup the last six games with a finger injury. ... Mariners OF Michael Morse, on the 15-day DL since June 22 with a strained right thigh, plans to run the bases on Saturday to test the leg. Hes close to starting a rehab assignment. ... The Reds wore white Fourth of July caps that were made for Thursdays game. ------Jarred Vanderbilt Nuggets Jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Alex English Nuggets Jersey . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. 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The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net.LOS ANGELES -- With Blake Griffin hurt again, the Los Angeles Clippers will try to absorb his absence as they begin a three-game homestand Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets.Griffin is scheduled to undergo a minor arthroscopic procedure on Tuesday to remove loose bodies in his right knee. Griffin, who has been hurting for several games, is expected to be out three to six weeks.The five-time All-Star leads the team in scoring at 21.2 points per game. He also is collecting an average of 8.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists.It is the second consecutive season injuries are sidelining Griffin. Last season, he sat out 45 games with a quad ailment and a broken hand, the latter of which was sustained during an altercation with a team trainer. He aggravated the quad again in last seasons playoffs when the Clippers were eliminated in the opening round by the Portland Trail Blazers.Griffin scored 26 points in the Clippers 117-110 loss to the Washington Wizards on Sunday. He also had seven rebounds and seven assists. However, after the game, a decision was made for him to have surgery.Griffins loss occurs at a time when the Clippers arent playing their best. The defeat at Washington left Los Angeles (20-8) with a 6-6 mark since roaring out of the gate with a 14-2 record. The Wizards shot 80 percent from the floor in a decisive fourth quarter to snap the Clippers four-game winning streak.Before winning four straight, the Clippers dropped five of seven contests. Defense, which had been one of the teams hallmarks early on, is failing the Clippers.I think us as a team, weve got to tallk about it because weve lost confidence in our defense, point guard Chris Paul, who had 13 points and 12 assists against the Wizards, told the Los Angeles Times.dddddddddddd And I think a lot of that starts with me, being on the ball. But no way should we have lost this game.The Nuggets (12-16) are coming off a 117-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. Nikola Jokic tied a career high with 27 points to go with 14 rebounds and nine assists as the Nuggets claimed their third consecutive victory.Jokics near triple-double came a week after he scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the 20-point loss in Dallas. A missed 3-pointer by point guard Emmanuel Mudiay in the final minute kept Jokic from reaching 10 assists Monday.It doesnt really matter, Jokic said of falling short of the triple-double. The game is more important than your name.An abundance of offense is the name of the game for the Nuggets. They are averaging 125.3 points during their streak. For the season, Denver is scoring 107.4 points per contest, which ranks seventh in the NBA. However, the Nuggets are allowing 109.4 points (26th).The Clippers are averaging 109.6 points per game, fifth best in the league. On defense, Los Angeles is giving up 101.6 points. Although that ranks eighth, those numbers have risen from the hot start when the Clippers were frequently holding opponents under 100 points per game.The Clippers won five of their past six meetings with the Nuggets. ' ' '