Tuesday, June 15, 1999

REDS 8, METS 4

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Homer, double help beat Mets, save Villone

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Barry Larkin pumps his fist after coming home from hitting a home run Monday. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        Though Monday night's numbers added up to an 8-4 victory for the Reds over the New York Mets, manager Jack McKeon dwelled on a different figure: 10. That's the number of walks Cincinnati's pitchers issued Monday.

        It tied a season-high and aggravated McKeon, who could have calmed himself by contemplating Aaron Boone's four RBI, which included a three-run, tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning.

        The second-place Reds (32-27) ended losing streaks of five games at home and three games overall with an aggressive offensive display. Michael Tucker and Barry Larkin also homered, and the Reds stole four bases. It all helped Cincinnati erase a 2-0 first-inning deficit, created when starter Ron Villone issued four walks and was one pitch from an embarrassingly early removal.

        Cincinnati has come from behind in eight of its last 11 victories. But McKeon, irritated after watching his starters average 4¹/₂ walks per nine innings, knows that no team can repeat such uphill climbs throughout a 162-game season.

        “It's not going to happen every night,” he said. “We can't put up six, seven, eight walks a game and expect to get away with it. We had some clutch hits at the right time.”

        Pounding his desk for empha sis, McKeon added, “I know (the pitchers) get tired of hearing me and you guys (reporters) get tired of hearing me. But to win, you have to throw strikes and make them hit the ball. You can't walk everybody in the ballpark and put pressure on our hitters all the time.”

        The Reds endured this stress because Villone, after courting disaster, retired 13 of 15 Mets beginning with the first inning's final out. Edgardo Alfonzo's first-inning single was the only hit Villone yielded in five innings, though the converted reliever was taken out after walking his seventh batter, a career high, to open the sixth inning.

        “I think in the first inning I might have been picking around the plate a little bit, trying to throw the perfect pitch. It didn't work, obviously,” Villone said. “After that, I just tried to throw the ball down the middle, and it turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would be. But it wasn't as if I was trying any harder or any less. Fortunately the offense picked me up.”

        The Reds survived because Scott Williamson, who performed unsteadily while absorbing last Friday's 8-6 loss to Cleveland, rebounded with three shutout innings. Adjusting his delivery helped the him regain his form.

        “I tried to get back to driving toward the plate,” said Williamson (6-2).

        And the Reds prevailed because Boone, who has hit .368 (14-for-38) in his last 11 games with five doubles, a triple and two homers, continued to establish himself.

        With the score tied 3-3 in the sixth, Mets reliever Greg McMichael (0-1) walked Greg Vaughn and Barry Larkin to open the Reds' half of the inning. Eddie Taubensee and Mike Cameron struck out, though a double-steal put Vaughn and Larkin in scoring position.

        In came Turk Wendell to face Boone, who drilled an 0-1 fastball over the left-field wall.

        Though first base was open and Williamson was due to bat next, Boone sensed the Mets would pitch to him.

        “Just because of the strength of our bench,” said Boone, who also drilled a fourth-inning RBI double off Mets starter Jason Isringhau sen that briefly put the Reds ahead 3-2. “If they walk me there, they know we're going to make a move and go to (pinch-hitters) Hal (Morris) or Dmitri (Young) or Hambone (Jeffrey Hammonds) or somebody. So I was not surprised they came after me.”

        The Reds would welcome sustained production from Boone, the Opening Day third baseman who's only three weeks removed from a stint at Triple-A. Besides right field, his is the only position that remains somewhat unsettled in Cincinnati's lineup.

        “We have to get him hitting on a more consistent basis,” McKeon said.

        Boone's ready, not only for any personal challenge, but also for the one confronting the Reds in the NL Central.

        “It feels good to have a big part in a win,” he said. “It was a big win for us. Hopefully it'll be something that gets a little momentum going again. We've got a big stretch going into the All-Star break now. It's kind of fish-or-cut-bait time for us, with all these games, not a lot of off-days (30 games in 31 days) and the quality of opponents we're facing. This is an important time for us.”

       

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