Sunday, September 12, 1999
Rotation key in recent stretch of wins
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Reds' presence in the pennant race and the fuss over their recent home run explosion have obscured a significant facet of their play: their starting pitching, which has excelled lately.
Entering Saturday night, Reds starters were 6-1 with a 2.61 ERA in the last eight games.
“That's what I try to tell you,” Reds manager Jack McKeon said. “Power is nice, but pitching is the key. You have to have it.”
Only twice during that stretch did a Reds starter pitch fewer than six innings, helping preserve the bullpen. Just once, when Pete Harnisch surrendered three runs in five innings in Thursday's series finale at Chicago, did a starter yield more than three earned runs.
The rotation has jelled exactly as the Reds had hoped. Acquiring Juan Guzman (5-2 entering Saturday's game against Florida) an hour before the July 31 trading deadline expired has been an obvious asset. Denny Neagle (6-5) and Steve Parris (8-2) have recovered from their respective injuries. Despite recent struggles, Harnisch (14-8) has remained mostly consistent. And Ron Villone (7-6), the ex-reliever, has been the find of the year.
Even if another starter falters or suffers an injury, the Reds feel confident that they can plug in Brett Tomko (5-7), whose six-inning effort in a 10-3 victory at Chicago in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader provided encouragement.
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