Saturday, October 02, 1999

Brewers 4, Reds 3

---

3-0 lead goes to waste

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Sean Casey throws his bat after striking out with the bases loaded. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        MILWAUKEE — As October began Friday, the Reds remained unsure whether they'd make it last to their satisfaction.

        Given an opportunity to regain first place in the National League Central Division and assure themselves of at least extending the season into a Monday playoff game, they instead squandered a 3-0 lead and lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 on Ron Belliard's 10th-inning RBI single.

        Cincinnati lost not only its second game in a row but also a chance to inch ahead of division rival Houston, which fell 5-1 to Los Angeles. The Reds and Astros remained tied atop the Central standings with 95-65 records.

        “What hurts is knowing that Houston lost and we didn't close the game out — knowing we let a golden opportunity slip by,” said Reds reliever Scott Sullivan, the 10th-inning victim.

Mike Cameron is greeted by Pokey Reese after his third-inning HR. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        A victory also would have given the Reds a clear path to a one-game playoff Monday for a postseason berth, if they finished the season tied with Houston or the New York Mets. Instead, they slipped closer to the Mets (94-66), who remained alive for the wild-card spot by outlasting Pittsburgh 3-2 in 11 innings.

        “If we win one of (the next two games), we're in good shape,” Reds manager Jack McKeon said.

        Sullivan opened the 10th by hiting Mark Loretta on the left shoulder. Despite having driven in all of Milwaukee's previous runs with a sixth-inning double and a two-run, eighth-inning single, Jeff Cirillo was asked to bunt. He failed, popping up to Sullivan.

        After Jeromy Burnitz struck out, rookie Kevin Barker batted for Brewers pitcher Rocky Coppinger (5-3), who blanked the Reds over the final two innings. Barker, who had one hit in his previous 17 at-bats, singled to right on a full-count pitch to send Loretta to third.

Greg Vaughn homers in the fourth. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Knowing nothing about Barker's tendencies could have been a convenient excuse for Sullivan. He ignored it.

        “I'm going to pitch a left-hander the way I'm going to pitch a left-hander, whether he's a rookie or a 10-year guy,” Sullivan said. “It was a good piece of hitting.”

        Then came Belliard, whose single to right-center field ended the three-hour, 35-minute struggle and Cincinnati's six-game winning streak in extra-inning games.

        The galling nature of the defeat was worsened by the fact that the Reds stranded 10 runners, leaving the bases filled in the fifth and eighth innings and two on in the ninth and 10th.

        Cincinnati, which collected just five hits, nearly broke the 3-3 tie in the 10th, but center fielder Marquis Grissom plucked Eddie Taubensee's sinking line drive off the top of the grass to end the threat.

Denny Neagle gave up to one run, four hits in six innings. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        Reds starter Denny Neagle allowed one run and four hits in six innings but was denied his seventh consecutive victory. Neagle walked one and struck out four while throwing 100 pitches, 60 for strikes.

        Neagle bequeathed a 3-1 lead to reliever Scott Williamson, who pitched a scoreless seventh but crumbled in the eighth. Jose Valentin walked and moved to third base on Loretta's one-out double, which came on a 2-0 pitch. Both scored on Cirillo's single to center field.

        Williamson intentionally walked Burnitz before Alex Ochoa, the next batter, scorched a foul up the left-field line. That prompted the Reds to replace Williamson with Danny Graves, who struck out Ochoa and received an inning-ending double play when Burnitz strayed too far from first base and was tagged out in a rundown.

        Cincinnati sustained only short bursts of offense in the form of home runs from Mike Cameron and Greg Vaughn.

---

Reds Stories

Playoff hopes on hold Brewers 4, Reds 3 Dodgers 5, Astros 1 Mets 3, Pirates 2 Box, runs Time to celebrate Reds is now Arizona playoffs start at 11:09 p.m. Griffey to interview with Rockies Marge Schott's official statement Schott: A 'heartbreaking' end Reds ownership restructured

Reds page