Saturday, May 22, 1999

PADRES 5, REDS 4

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Mighty Casey has struck out

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Ex-Red Eric Owens steals home in the third inning. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

        SAN DIEGO — The thunderous offense and glittering pitching that highlighted the Reds' five-game winning streak disappeared Friday night.

        One game after amassing 24 runs and a franchise-record 28 hits at Colorado, the Reds looked as if they had left their best behind, losing 5-4 to the San Diego Padres before 21,951 at Qualcomm Stadium.

        The Reds, down 5-3 entering the ninth, had a chance to tie the game but Padres closer Trevor Hoffman struck out Sean Casey on a check-swing with a runner on second base.

        "We battled back, we've been doing it all year," Casey said. "When you bring in a guy like Trevor Hoffman, you have to scrap to get some runs. We got one but couldn't get the second one."

        Pokey Reese led off the ninth with a double — his third hit of the night — and was driven in on a pinch-hit single by Hal Morris. After a Mike Cameron sacrifice, Barry Larkin grounded out to third and Hoffman got Casey for his eighth save.

Ruben Rivera bears down on Barry Larkin and breaks up a double play. | ZOOM |

        "Casey can't do it every night. We have to share, we need others to step up," Reds manager Jack McKeon said. "We just gave them too many runs early."

        Brett Tomko (1-2) lasted only three innings before a mildly sprained right ankle forced him from the game. The San Diego native apparently injured himself by landing awkwardly after throwing a third-inning pitch on which former Red Eric Owens executed a straight steal of home plate.

        “When I heard the crowd, I knew he was stealing home,” Tomko said. “I tried to rush it and I rolled my ankle and heard it pop.” He expects to be healthy for his next start.

        Even before that, Tomko was hardly the pitcher who blanked the Padres for 8ö innings Sunday at Cinergy Field in his triumphant return from Triple-A Indianapolis.

        He failed to record a strikeout for only the second time in 60 major-league starts, neglected to cover first base on a second-inning play and yielded three opposite-field hits, which indicated that he didn't follow the Reds' mandate of pitching inside. Tomko allowed three runs, five hits and two walks.

Pokey Reese drops a ground ball. It was ruled a hit. | ZOOM |

        Padres starter Woody Williams (2-2) blanked Cincinnati on four hits through six innings and owned a 4-0 lead before Mark Lewis homered and Reese singled to open the seventh. That finished Williams, who was replaced by right-hander Brian Boehringer.

        Cincinnati's rally continued as Reese stole second base and pinch-hitter Dmitri Young doubled to left field on Boehringer's 2-2 pitch, narrowing the difference to 4-2.

        Boehringer struck out Cameron and retired Larkin on a grounder before Casey singled up the middle on a 1-1 pitch to send home Young.

        Danny Graves allowed a run in eighth inning to give San Diego a 5-3 lead entering the ninth.

        The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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