Sunday, June 25, 2000
Reds vs. Cardinals could be now or never
Seven games in 11 days vs. NL Central leaders
By Chris Haft
The Cincinnati Enquirer
While lurching through the season's first three months, the Reds consistently have cited their wondrous 1999 season as an instance of how a mediocre year suddenly can turn magical. If they're ever going to follow last year's example, now's the time.
After today's series finale against the San Diego Padres, the Reds will face National League Central leader St. Louis seven times in an 11-day span — Monday through Thursday at Cinergy Field and July 4-6 in Busch Stadium. This represents an obvious chance for the second-place Reds to tighten the division race.
It could be Cincinnati's last chance.
“It's an important stretch, because if we don't get our act together and start playing to our potential, we can dig a big hole for ourselves,” general manager Jim Bowden said. “So it's very important that we start to play better against the good teams.”
Said third baseman Aaron Boone, “We're getting to that time of year to where we're either going to start playing the way we think we can or not.”
Between those series, Cincinnati will visit Arizona, the NL West pacesetter, for four games. That's 11 consecutive games against teams currently occupying first place.
Expecting sustained heroics from the Reds (35-37) in this stretch might be a reach. But nobody expected them to excel as they did during a historic 10-game run last year between June 21-July 1, when they went 6-0 against Arizona and posted a four-game sweep at Houston. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it set a record for consecutive victories against first-place teams.
Those Reds were six games out of first place
before their 10-game streak, a deficit similar to their current one. Clubhouse historians noticed the parallels. “It's a huge opportunity,” reliever Danny Graves said.
Players also understand the blasphemy of anticipating or even hoping for a sweep in any of the upcoming series.
“It's pretty hard to say we're going to sweep again,” Graves said. “That was pretty crazy that it happened.”
“You always go in thinking about winning the series,” first baseman Sean Casey said. “You don't want to get too greedy by thinking, "Let's get the sweep.' Then you lose one, get disappoint ed, and all of a sudden you've lost all three.”
With more than three months left in the season, trimming two to three games from St.Louis' lead by the July 10-12 All-Star break will suffice for the Reds. “It's not at the point of the year where we have to sweep,” Boone said.
Bowden declined to say how close the Reds must come to St. Louis by mid-July to be contenders in his eyes. If the deficit isn't respectable, it's widely assumed that veterans such as Denny Neagle and perhaps even Barry Larkin will be offered to contenders seeking quality stretch-drive performers.
But Bowden didn't think the Reds' fortunes will unravel to that extent.
“I believe in this team,” Bowden said. “I believe that many of our players are not playing to their potential, and I believe they will in the second half, and they will make a run.”
The Reds have provided little evidence of being able to make that run now. They won eight of nine games, including six in a row, in one May juncture. Yet that was more than offset by the 11 losses in 12 games they suffered before they took two of three games from Colorado earlier this week.
By contrast, last year's Reds proved capable of reaching prodigious heights before that 10-game streak. They established themselves as threats by winning 16 of 20 games between May 15-June 6, culminating that surge with eight consecutive victories.
The Reds certainly must raise their collective level of play to thrive against St.Louis and Arizona. But they wouldn't have to reach uncharted heights.
They averaged 5.9 runs a game during last year's 10-game surge. They're averaging 4.8 now. A batting order with Larkin, Ken Griffey Jr. and Dante Bichette should be capable of increasing production.
Graves and Scott Williamson each contributed a victory and three saves to the 10-game streak. While Wil liamson's recent troubles are well-documented, Graves has become an elite closer.
But Cincinnati's starting pitching must continue its recent improvement.
Starters lasted seven innings or more four times in five games from last Saturday through the Colorado series. They did that six times in last year's 10-game stretch while posting a 2.94 ERA.
Also in that streak, the Reds won three times despite allowing seven runs. They also won three games while scoring three or fewer runs.
“What we've been doing a lot is losing those games,” Boone said. “One game we score and lose 8-6; the next night we lose 3-2. We need to start doing all three things (hitting, pitching, defense) well.”
This portion of the schedule doesn't require desperation from the Reds, but it does prompt a sense of urgency. After they're done with St.Louis and Arizona, they face two respectable second-place teams immediately before and after the All-Star break: Cleveland and Colorado.
Moreover, the Reds won't get their next shot at the Cardinals until the season's final weekend.
“Having the chance to play them head-to-head is what you need right now,” Casey said. “It's good for us.”
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Reds vs. Cardinals could be now or never
