Tuesday, April 13, 1999

REDS 7, CUBS 2

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Cameron keys 4-HR barrage

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mike Cameron gets a high-five from manager Jack McKeon. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

        CHICAGO — The Reds' power-hitting limits remain unknown. But as their home-run total continued to rise Monday, it was fitting that Mike Cameron was largely responsible for the increase.

        Cameron is the embodiment of the Reds' promise: He's among their five Opening Day starting position players 26 or younger, a group whose potential exceeds its accomplishments.

        The accomplishments are catching up. Cameron hit two of Cincinnati's four home runs in a 7-2 victory Monday that spoiled the Chicago Cubs' home opener. The Reds increased their total to 16 homers while winning for the third time in their last four games and collecting a season-high 13 hits.

        “I'm not that smart that I could see we'd hit for this kind of power,” Reds manager Jack McKeon said. “You say power, you think of (Greg) Vaughn. You don't think of (Sean) Casey, Cameron and Pokey (Reese). But it's nice to see.”

Barry Larkin is greeted by Sean Casey. | ZOOM |

        Even with the acquisition of left fielder Vaughn, nobody expected the Reds to emerge as sluggers. They ranked 12th in the National League with 138 home runs last season, then hit only 26 homers in 31 exhibition games. Aside from Vaughn, their top hitters — Casey, Barry Larkin and Dmitri Young — are line-drive artists, not fence-busters.

        Yet the Reds have sustained a fair Murderer's Row impersonation:

HR ROLL

By individual Cameron - 3 Casey - 3 Larkin - 3 Taubensee - 2 Vaughn - 2 Johnson - 1 Reese - 1 Sweeney - 1 By game Game 1 - 3 Game 2 - 2 Game 3 - 2 Game 4 - 3 Game 5 - 1 Game 6 - 1 Game 7 - 4

        • They've homered at least once in the first seven games for the first time since 1987. “It goes to show you what a little bit of adrenaline can do,” said catcher Eddie Taubensee, who homered to lead off the seventh inning. Next milestone: In 1986, they homered in the first 12 games.

        • The production has been balanced, though it's concentrated toward the top of the order. Each of the first three hitters, Cameron, Larkin and Casey, has three homers. Larkin, who homered for the second day in a row, began Monday's scoring with a two-run, third-inning shot off Cubs starter Kevin Tapani (1-1).

        Vaughn, who hit 50 last year for San Diego, has two from the cleanup spot. Taubensee, who homered off Cubs reliever Terry Mulholland to lead off the seventh inning, and fellow catcher Brian Johnson have combined for three homers while batting sixth.

Steve Avery had another strong start. | ZOOM |

        “We have the capability of doing a lot of things with the guys we have,” said Cameron, who had a leadoff homer in the eighth inning off Matt Karchner and a two-run blast in the ninth off Rod Beck. “We have great speed/power combination throughout the whole team.”

        Chicago fans expected Cameron to display both speed and power for the White Sox last season. But that club soured on Cameron after he hit .210 and traded him to the Reds last Nov. 11 for first baseman Paul Konerko.

        “This guy's got five-tool talent,” McKeon said. “It's just a question of when the potential all comes through ... I don't think there's any doubt in our minds he's going to hit eventually, with power.”

        “I think I put entirely too much pressure on myself last year,” Cameron said. “This year I said I was going to take it one day at a time and see what happens.”

        Cameron's 3-for-5 effort lifted his average from .133 to .250. Though he lost Mickey Morandini's third-inning fly ball in the sun, resulting in a double and the Cubs' first run off starter Steve Avery (1-1), he atoned by making a nice running catch on Jose Hernandez's line drive to end the inning.

        And, of course, there were the homers. “This is one of the best feelings I've had in a long time,” he said.

       

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