Monday, April 26, 1999

The right way works

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Good defense, smart offense leads to win

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Pokey Reese crosses home plate after hitting a tiebreaking home run in the sixth. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        The path the Reds took Sunday to defeat the Houston Astros 7-6 satisfied them as much as the victory.

        They must repeat this journey often to improve upon their sluggish start.

        After losing the first two series of this nine-game homestand, the Reds sealed their second victory in three games against the Astros by succeeding at baseball's subtleties, manufacturing runs and playing efficient defense.

        “I might sound like an old nag, but we have to do little things. We have to,” left fielder Greg Vaughn said. “We have to move runners; we have to catch the ball; we have to think ahead. Until we do those things, I think we're going to be inconsistent. Nobody's going out there trying to mess up. But certainly, enough's enough. We have to make it happen.”

        The Reds did exactly that against the two-time defending National League Central champions. Cincinnati squandered a 5-1 lead but broke a 5-5 tie in the sixth inning on Pokey Reese's home run and Vaughn's second two-out RBI single that followed Mike Cameron's triple.

        Nicked only by Derek Bell's ninth-inning homer, rookie Scott Williamson notched his first major-league save with three innings of excellent relief for starter Pete Harnisch (2-2).

        After blowing a 3-0 lead in Saturday's 4-3 loss to Houston, the Reds might have approached a crisis stage with another deflating setback.

        “Today was huge, especially after yesterday,” first baseman Sean Casey said. “They (the Astros) came back and took the game from us when we kind of gave it to them.”

        Manager Jack McKeon used the same lineup he un veiled in Friday's series opener, featuring Michael Tucker playing right field and batting second, Vaughn hitting third, Casey occupying the cleanup spot and Larkin hitting fifth.

        McKeon's conclusion after watching the Reds thrive again was obvious: “It looks like I might stick with that one for a while. We got seven runs on both occasions.”

Sean Casey scores in teh second inning after Houston pitcher Sean Bergman, right, threw a wild pitch. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        After going 4-for-6 with two sacrifice flies with runners in scoring position Friday, the Reds were 4-for-11 with another sacrifice fly in the same situations against Houston starter Sean Bergman and four relievers. The Reds had a .219 average with men in scoring position entering the series.

        “We thought this club would hit better. And it will,” McKeon said. “There's no doubt about that.”

        The Reds began the game with a .244 team average, worst in the NL. But they collected most of their 10 hits when they counted. The leader was Vaughn, who was only 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and two outs before stroking his run-scoring singles.

        “You're kind of hoping he's going to be the push that takes you a little higher,” McKeon said.

        Though the Reds ranked fifth in the league in home runs before Sunday, Reese's blast off loser Doug Henry (0-1) was an aberration on this particular afternoon. Often, the Reds have been forced to rely on the long ball to generate offense, scoring 32 of their 71 runs entering the game on homers. Proving they could sustain offense with out power was essential.

        “It was bound to happen,” catcher Eddie Taubensee said. “We're all starting to do it together.”

        That also applied to the Reds' efforts defensively, though they looked shoddy while committing two errors in Houston's four-run fifth inning that tied the score.

        Tucker made a diving, highlight video-quality catch on Ken Caminiti's sinking line drive in the second inning. One inning later, third baseman Aaron Boone pounced on Bergman's bunt and forced Mitch Meluskey at third base. Casey contributed a deft, over-the-shoul der grab of Jeff Bagwell's seventh-inning flare into shallow right field.

        “It's a little bit of everything,” Larkin said, reflecting on the day's events. “That's the good thing.”

       

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