Monday, April 12, 1999
REDS NOTEBOOK
Reds open season with power surge
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
ST. LOUIS — Believe it or not, these Reds are a bunch of sluggers.
Barry Larkin's fourth-inning home run on Sunday, which ended a 3ô-inning perfect game for St. Louis starter Donovan Osborne, preserved Cincinnati's streak of homering at least once in every game. The Reds, who have 12 home runs, began Sunday tied for the major-league lead at 11 with Arizona. Arizona hit two on Sunday.
“We know we're going to score runs,” Reds manager Jack McKeon said.
Last year's team finished 12th in the National League with 138 home runs. But the arrival of left fielder Greg Vaughn, who hit 50 homers last year for San Diego, and the continued development of first baseman Sean Casey have upgraded the Reds' power. Casey has a team-high three homers, while Vaughn and Larkin have two apiece.
Morris plan
First baseman Hal Morris received his first start of the season Sunday, on the basis of his .462 (6-for-13) lifetime average against Osborne.
Morris doubled to left field on an 0-2 pitch, scoring pitcher Jason Bere and Mike Cameron (whose trip home was helped by left fielder Joe McEwing's error) with the tying and go-ahead runs.
But Casey, who happens to be the NL's leading hitter (.500), will return to the Reds' lineup today.
“You hate like heck to rest the league's leading hitter, but Hal needed to get those four at-bats,” McKeon said.
Bere, Bere good
After issuing five walks and failing to hold a 6-0 lead last Tuesday night against San Francisco, Bere took a more direct approach in his 6ô innings against St. Louis. It resulted in his first victory of the season.
“I need to be aggressive, let the ball go and not feel my way through,” said Bere, who credited a livelier breaking ball for his improvement.
Bere, who allowed both of St. Louis' runs and eight hits, notched his 500th career strikeout in Sunday's fourth inning when he caught Fernando Tatis looking at a third strike.
Etc.
McKeon said third baseman Aaron Boone, who has a lingering stomach ailment, could return to the lineup as early as today but might be rested until Wednesday.
• For the series, McGwire went 3-for-10 with one home run, three strikeouts and two walks. This marked an improvement over his efforts against the Reds last year, when he was only 3-for-28 with one homer.
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