Friday, October 01, 1999
Reds control own destiny
Beating Brewers is shortest path to playoffs
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MILWAUKEE — Any mention of magic numbers, one-game playoffs or scoreboard watching only confuses the issue for the Reds.
Their season has been stripped down to a single bare essential: winning.
The Reds are involved in a simple footrace with the Houston Astros and New York Mets for the National League's final two postseason berths. They got some more breathing room when the New York Mets lost Thursday night. Cincinnati and Houston both were off Thursday.
The Reds and Astros remain tied for first place in the NL Central with 95-64 records. They're grappling with each other for the division title while trying to stay ahead of New York (which can claim the wild-card spot by passing ei ther team or forging a three-way tie.
The drama will unfold at three sites beginning tonight: Here, where the Reds must confront the Milwaukee Brewers; in Houston, where the Astros are playing host to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and in New York, where the Mets are facing the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Throughout the summer, when winning twice in a three-game series helped the Reds climb into contention, they did so. Through September, when they realized they'd have to sweep entire series to have any chance of catching the Astros or Mets, they did that, too.
Now, depending on how Houston and New York fare, defeating the Brewers twice might not be enough to assure the Reds of a Division Series appearance.
The Reds know that winning minimizes the uncertainty.
“It's nice knowing that you control everything,” third baseman Aaron Boone said. “It's on us.”
It's clear what'll happen if the teams end the regular season Sunday with different records. Ties, however, complicate matters:
• Should Cincinnati finish in a three-way tie with New York and Houston, the Mets would be awarded the wild-card spot. The Reds and Astros would engage in a one-game playoff for the Central title Monday at Cinergy Field.
• Should Houston win the division while the Reds and Mets finish dead even, New York would travel to Cincinnati for a one-game playoff to determine the wild-card winner, also Monday.
• If the Reds and Astros tie while finishing ahead of New York, Cincinnati would be awarded the Central title based on its 9-4 record against Houston.
• If the Reds win the division while Houston and New York tie, those two would engage in a one-game wild-card playoff at Shea Stadium.
One-game playoffs aren't as rare as you might think. Of the five that have been played, four have occurred since 1978, including last year's victory by the Chicago Cubs over San Francisco for the NL's wild-card spot.
None of the Reds seems to be thinking about one-game playoff possibilities. After splitting their two-game showdown at Houston, some of the Reds may not think, period, until they suit up at Milwaukee County Stadium this afternoon. Thursday's off-day provided a welcome break.
“I think guys are kind of drained,” Reds shortstop Barry Larkin said minutes after the Houston series ended.
An exception was left-hander Denny Neagle, Cincinnati's starting pitcher tonight. While compiling the six-game winning streak he'll bring into the Brewers series, Neagle withstood the pressure of knowing that each game was progressively more crucial than the previous one.
“This is the biggest start of the regular season I've probably had in my career,” said Neagle, an eight-year veteran. “I've said all along and I'll say it again: I've treated every one of these last few starts like it was a playoff start. That's how I'm going to take this one, also.”
Neagle expects to make a greater impact than he did the last time he faced Milwaukee. That was his major-league debut, on July 27, 1991, when he allowed two runs in three innings pitching for Minnesota. “To come this far with only three games to go and everything on the line, this is why you play this game, to be in ballgames like this,” Neagle said.
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