Tuesday, April 20, 1999
More April sours for Reds
First month loser 4 straight years
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Reds take the field tonight having lost seven of their first 11 games. Unfortunately, it's an early season hole to which they've grown accustomed.
The Reds haven't posted a winning April record since 1994 (15-7). With 10 games left in the month, including tonight's opener of a three-game series against the New York Mets, the Reds must win at least seven more times in
April to finish with a winning month.
Receiving production from the heart of their batting order would provide a direct cure for the Reds. Their most proven hitters, Barry Larkin and Greg Vaughn, are batting a combined .190 (16-for-84). Additionally, No.5 hitter Dmitri Young was in a 3-for-24 skid before a pinch-hit RBI single Sunday.
“We've had a chance to win all 11 games,” General Manager Jim Bowden said Monday. “You get over the top when your big men are hitting. Because the game doesn't get down to (close finishes) when you're producing.”
But history shows that more patience might be required, particularly of Larkin and Vaughn.
Larkin, the No.2 hitter, is batting .186, far below his career average of .300. But April is typically the shortstop's worst month. In the last
five years, Larkin hit .248 in March and April, compared with averages of .307 or higher in every other month except June (.299).
Just last year, Larkin's average stood at .188 on April 30 as he struggled to overcome a neck injury. He finished at .309.
Vaughn's pattern is similar. His .242 average last April rose to .272 by season's end, and he finished with 50 homers and 119 RBI. His March-April average for the past five years is .237, 12 points below his overall figure for that span.
“I started off last year just like this,” said Vaughn, who's hitting .195 with two homers and four RBI. “All of a sudden, one bloop hit, and there she went. I feel like I'm taking good swings. I'm just missing some balls ...
“I'm not going to mope and cry. My attitude is, every day I feel I have a chance ... (Today), I'm going in with the attitude that somebody's going to pay.”
Referring to first baseman Sean Casey's .450 average and center fielder Mike Cameron's respectable .278 figure, Vaughn even mustered some humor: “Right now, Case's back has to be sore because he's pretty much been carrying us, you know what I mean? Him and Cammy.”
Young has been more successful, though his pinch single ended an 0-for-10 skid. It hiked his average to .270, 46 points below the mark he posted last April.
“Obviously, three of our big bats have not produced like they're going to produce, but you know they'll hit,” Bowden said. “It's a matter of time.”
Bowden has been encouraged not only by Casey and Cameron, but also by second baseman Pokey Reese's defense, left-hander Steve Avery's consistency and the emergence of rookie relievers Scott Williamson and Dennys Reyes, despite the latter's costly fielding error in Sunday's 4-2 loss to Pittsburgh. Veteran left-hander Denny Neagle's anticipated return Wednesday, Bowden figured, should further solidify the team.
“Every team will go 4-7 at some point in the season, even the New York Yankees,” Bowden said. “What's good is that a lot of positive things have shown up.”
Reds Stories
