Denny Neagle (AP photos) | ZOOM |

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        PHILADELPHIA — That “upset stomach” Denny Neagle supposedly had Monday required more than just antacid tablets to cure.

        Neagle estimated he lost 6-to-7 pounds from a full-fledged case of food poisoning, which he believed he contracted from some sandwiches he ate Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

        “I woke up at 1 in the morning and I thought my stomach was going to explode,” Neagle said.

        Carefully weighing what he told reporters, manager Jack McKeon said Monday that Neagle might have been able to pitch if that night's game at Pittsburgh hadn't been rained out. Tuesday, Neagle said there's no way he could have faced the Pirates.

        “I felt horrible when I came to the park,” Neagle said. “And I didn't feel all that great today.”

        Neagle felt good enough to fire a one-hitter over six innings in the Reds' 7-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, though he admitted that he began feeling physically drained around the fifth inning.

        Like many pitchers, Neagle frequently licks his fingers to improve his grip on the ball (no, this does not constitute throwing a spitter). But he said he was so dehydrated that he could barely produce enough saliva to do the job.

        Neagle said that all he could eat Monday was half of a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich. Tuesday, he said he had a “tiny bit” of a turkey sandwich. “I mainly tried to get liquids in my system,” he said.

        “Even though I didn't feel great physically, I felt like all my pitches were there.”

Junior at BP | ZOOM |

        GA-GA OVER GRIFFEY: Fan interest generated by the appearance of Ken Griffey Jr. helped the Phillies draw a crowd of 23,234, a decent gathering for a weeknight. In the two days following the Feb. 10 trade that brought Griffey to the Reds from Seattle, the Phillies sold 3,000 tickets for this series.

        One of the fans ran onto the field during the bottom of the fifth inning to shake hands with Griffey. The spectator knelt in center field after meeting his hero and was quickly engulfed by nine stadium security guards.

        Asked if he felt scared as the fan approached, Griffey said, “What do you think?”

        Griffey had never played in Veterans Stadium, having missed the 1996 All-Star Game here due to a wrist injury.

        RUMOR MILL: Speculation has arisen from New York that the Yankees covet right-hander Manny Aybar, which was one reason the Reds wanted him in the first place. Cincinnati traded left-hander Gabe White to Colorado for Aybar.

        The Yankees would prefer to keep Ramiro Mendoza, the handy right-hander the Reds have pursued. But two factors remain at issue: New York's wish to upgrade its designated hitter spot and the Reds' need to jettison an outfielder to make room for Deion Sanders, who'll almost surely be promoted from Triple-A Louisville later this month.

        ETC: Scott Sullivan's eighth-inning single off Phillies reliever Scott Aldred was his second in 38 career at-bats. Sullivan collected his other hit on May 20, 1998 at New York off Turk Wendell.

        UP NEXT: Steve Parris (1-3) will oppose 1999 All-Star Paul Byrd (0-2) when the series continues tonight.

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