Wednesday, May 12, 1999

REDS 9, BREWERS 1

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Young hopes first homer ends slump

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Dmitri Young is greeted by Greg Vaughn after his two-run HR. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

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        Dmitri Young's swing finally shone along with his hair Tuesday night.

        Just as Young's buoyant spirit lightens the clubhouse atmosphere and his bottle-blonde locks accent the Reds' loosened facial-hair policy, his bat can amplify Cincinnati's offense.

        Young's two-run homer, his first of the season, gave the Reds a comfortable 5-1 lead and ushered them to a 9-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Cinergy Field.

        Said Young in his typically colorful fashion, “I almost felt like Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor. A whole lot of weight just came off.”

        Barry Larkin and Michael Tucker also homered as the Reds scored three times in the first, fifth and eighth innings to record their most lopsided victory of the season. The Reds (14-16) nudged past the Brewers (14-17) to escape last place in the National League Central Division for the first time since May 1.

Sean Casey congratulates Barry Larkin on his HR. | ZOOM |

        Steve Avery (2-3) departed after just five innings, after developing a blister on the middle finger of his left (pitching) hand. But the run support and the decision partly compensated for the ill luck he endured in his first five starts, when he lasted at least seven innings each time yet received just one victory.

        Cincinnati's bullpen lowered its NL-best ERA to 3.09 as Dennys Reyes, Scott Sullivan and Gabe White worked the final four innings.

        “Any time you go five innings and get a win, it's a pretty good break,” Avery said.

        Young also needed a break from his season-long drudgery. From the middle of an April 12 game at Chicago until Tuesday, the right fielder had mustered three hits in 33 at-bats, dropping his average from .346 to .203.

        He was benched for four games, then suffered bruised ribs in his right side when he started April 30 in left field at Atlanta and collided with the Turner Stadium wall in pursuit of John Smoltz's double. He spent a week recovering.

Milwaukee's Sean Berry grimaces as he slides into Eddie Taubensee. | ZOOM |

        It's not what the Reds hoped from Young, who thrilled them last year by hitting .310 with 14 homers, 83 RBI and an astronomical 48 doubles.

        “I never had to fight this hard to try to stay in the lineup

        for any extended period of time,” said Young, who lifted his average to .206. “I just have to be very, very patient and stay confident. I felt the confidence surrounding me kind of disappear during that point in time.”

        Young looked assured in the fifth inning when he redirected a 1-0 pitch from Milwaukee starter Cal Eldred (1-2) over the right-field wall. He theorized that his homer may have marked the end of his doldrums.

        “I saw pitches well tonight,” Young said. “I got good wood on it. It was just a matter of actually putting on that nice swing and getting the right pitch. Tell you one thing, it felt good getting (the first homer) out of the way. Too bad I had to wait over a month.”

        Said Reds manager Jack McKeon of Young: “There's no question he's coming around. If we get Dmitri hitting the ball like he did last year, he's a threat every time he comes up.”

        Still, McKeon indicated that Young didn't necessarily insure himself an everyday spot in the lineup.

        “I have to get (Jeffrey) Hammonds going now,” said McKeon, a believer in using his entire 25-man roster. “Tucker's hitting the ball pretty good and he has to sit out. I guess I'll just have to juggle those guys, keep them all fairly sharp.”

        Young's homer was no aberration.

        He also grounded out sharply with runners on second and third base to end the second inning and lined out to finish the sixth.

        Milwaukee second baseman Ron Belliard fielded the grounder in short right field, prompting Young to remark, “He gave (right fielder Jeromy) Burnitz a high-five before throwing that ball to first base.”

        Obviously, Young's sense of humor never slumps.

       

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