Barry Larkin bobbles the ball, allowing a stolen base in the second inning. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        The Reds were so bad early in Friday night's game with Montreal that a six-run ninth inning rally wasn't enough and they fell to the Expos 8-7 at chilly Cinergy Field.

        The Reds made three errors in a five-run second inning that wreaked most of the havoc as they fell behind 8-1.

        But the Reds made a game of it and had the tying run on third base when the final out was made.

        Brady Clark opened the ninth and reached on an error, Todd Walker singled, Barry Larkin hit an RBI single, and Ken Griffey Jr. walked, to load the bases.

        Expos manager Frank Robinson called for left-hander Ed Vosberg to face Sean Casey.

        Casey laced a two-run single through the hole between first and second.

        Robinson again called to the pen, this time for right-hander Matt Herges to face Aaron Boone with none out and runners on first and third. Boone hit an infield single to shortstop Orlando Cabrera's right, scoring another run to make it 8-5 and bringing Adam Dunn to the plate as the tying run.

Adam Dunn gets tagged out by Expos catcher Brian Schneider on a ground ball by Kelly Stinnett in the bottom of the 9th innning. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        Dunn hit what looked like a double-play ball at the second baseman, but Boone slid hard into the shortstop to prevent it.

        The Reds were still alive — runners on first and third with one out — when Jason LaRue appeared to ground out to third, but third baseman Chris Truby threw the ball into the Reds dugout, making the score 8-6 and bringing up Kelly Stinnett with one out and runners on second and third.

        Stinnett worked the count to 2-2, taking a pitch just outside for ball three and fouling off two more pitches to add to the tension. Stinnett then hit a high bounder about 20 feet in front of the plate toward the third-base line. Dunn, who was running all the way, tried to score but was tagged out by catcher Brian Schneider for the second out.

        This left it all up to Clark with runners on first and third, and what did he do but line a single to right-center, making it 8-7 with runners at first and third and Walker coming up.

        Out came Robinson, who signalled for the left-hander Graeme Lloyd, and up stepped Walker.

        Ball one (wide, low left). Swinging strike, then a foul ball into the third-base seats and a foul to the right side, and then Lloyd rang up Walker with a strike on the outside corner to end it.

Todd Walker drops the ball trying to tag Vladimir Guerrero. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        The Reds undoing was the five-run second.

        The errors were by right-fielder Juan Encarnacion (who allowed a single to roll under his glove as he charged it), starting pitcher Jimmy Haynes (who couldn't field a grounder to the right side) and Ken Griffey Jr. (who couldn't get a handle on a ball in left-center). Runs scored directly on the first and third of those errors, which only added to the misery.

        It was a brown-bag night at the ballpark. If you had one, you wore it. Over your head. The Reds were coming off a series' victory over the talented, pitching-rich Cubs, so everybody figured they'd have their way with the Expos. Instead, the Expos stuck a fork in the Reds early. That was appropriate, because the Reds couldn't stick a fork in the bouncing ball.

        Haynes lasted only 2 1/3 innings, giving up six hits and seven runs (four of them earned). He threw 66 pitches. Jose Rijo relieved him, striking out three in 1 2/3 innings, although he gave up three hits and a run.

        Although it was stocking-cap cold at the ballpark Friday (the mercury was in the 30's), the fans were staying warm by exericising their lungs. In the bottom of the fourth inning — one hour and 35 minutes into the game — pinch-hitter Wilton Guerrero singled to send Juan Encarnacion to third base, with the Reds trailing 8-0. The fans turned sarcastic.

        “U-S-A! U-S-A!” they chanted, a reference to the international flavor of the match. It's a chant one won't likely hear next year. The north-of-the-border Expos will likely be playing state-side next year. Rumors are they won't be contracted, but rather will be relocated.

        In the top of the sixth, with the Expos threatening again and Jim Brower trying to hold them at bay, the fans brought out the razz: “Where's Rob Dib-ble? Where's Rob Dib-ble?”

                    1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9     R  H  E
                    -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -     -  -  -
MONTREAL            0  5  2   1  0  0   0  0  0     8 12  2
CINCINNATI          0  0  0   0  0  1   0  0  6     7 13  3      (FINAL)

BATTERIES: MON - MASATO YOSHII, SCOTT STEWART (7TH), BRITT REAMES (8TH),
ED VOSBERG (9TH), MATT HERGES (9TH), GRAEME LLOYD (9TH) AND BRIAN 
SCHNEIDER

           CIN - JIMMY HAYNES, JOSE RIJO (3RD), JIM BROWER (5TH), LUIS 
PINEDA (7TH), SCOTT WILLIAMSON (9TH) AND KELLY STINNETT


            WP - MASATO YOSHII (1-0)
            LP - JIMMY HAYNES (0-1)
          SAVE - GRAEME LLOYD (1)

HOME RUNS: MON - NONE

           CIN - AARON BOONE (1) OFF MASATO YOSHII IN THE 6TH, 0 ON


     TIME: 3:28     ATT: 17,123

PROBABLES: MON - TOMOKAZU OHKA (NR)
           CIN - CHRIS REITSMA (NR)


Box Score
MONTREAL (8) VS CINCINNATI (7) - FINAL

MONTREAL               ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
P Bergeron cf           4  1  0  0   1  3   2  .313
J Vidro 2b              5  2  3  1   0  0   1  .250
V Guerrero rf           2  0  2  2   2  0   0  .385
 S Stewart p            0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 a-A Galarraga ph       1  0  0  0   0  1   1  .250
 B Reames p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 E Vosberg p            0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 M Herges p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 G Lloyd p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
O Cabrera ss            5  0  0  0   0  2   5  .235
L Stevens 1b            5  1  2  0   0  2   1  .231
C Truby 3b              4  2  1  0   1  2   2  .267
B Schneider c           4  2  2  2   0  0   1  .500
B Wilkerson lf          4  0  2  1   0  0   1  .308
M Yoshii p              2  0  0  0   0  0   2  .000
 H Rodriguez rf         1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000

Totals                 37  8 12  6   4 10  16

a-struck out looking for S Stewart in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - L Stevens (1, J Haynes); B Schneider 2 (2, J Haynes);
V Guerrero 2
(3, J Haynes, J Rijo); J Vidro (1, L Pineda). S - M Yoshii. 
RBI - B Schneider 2 (2),
J Vidro (3), V Guerrero 2 (7), B Wilkerson (1). 2-out RBI - J Vidro,
V Guerrero.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Galarraga 1, O Cabrera 2,
P Bergeron 1,
C Truby 1. GIDP - M Yoshii, O Cabrera. Team LOB - 7.


BASERUNNING: SB - V Guerrero  (1, 2nd base off J Haynes/K Stinnett),
C Truby (1, 2nd base off J Haynes/K Stinnett, P Bergeron  (1, 2nd 
base off J Haynes/K Stinnett).

FIELDING: E - O Cabrera (2, throw); C Truby (2, throw).


CINCINNATI             ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
T Walker 2b             6  1  2  0   0  1   6  .278
B Larkin ss             5  1  1  1   0  1   1  .176
K Griffey Jr cf         4  1  1  0   1  0   0  .286
S Casey 1b              5  1  1  2   0  0   3  .267
A Boone 3b              5  1  2  2   0  2   0  .200
A Dunn lf               3  0  0  0   2  1   2  .083
J Encarnacion rf        4  0  3  0   0  1   0  .375
 S Williamson p         0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 c-J Larue ph           1  1  0  1   0  0   1  .300
K Stinnett c            4  0  0  0   1  2   4  .000
J Haynes p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 J Rijo p               1  0  1  0   0  0   0 1.000
 a-W Guerrero ph        1  0  1  0   0  0   0  .333
 J Brower p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 b-R Taylor ph          1  0  0  0   0  1   1  .500
 L Pineda p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 B Clark rf             2  1  1  1   0  0   0  .667

Totals                 42  7 13  7   4  9  18

a-reached on infield single to shortstop for J Rijo in the 4th;
b-struck out swinging for J Brower in the 6th;  c-reached on error for
S Williamson in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - J Encarnacion (2, M Yoshii). HR - A Boone (1, 6th inning
off M Yoshii 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - A Boone 2 (3), B Larkin (1), S Casey 2
(3), J Larue (2), B Clark (2). 2-out RBI - B Clark. Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - T Walker 3, K Stinnett 2, S Casey 2. Team
LOB - 12.

FIELDING: E - J Encarnacion (2, bobble); J Haynes (1, ground ball);
K Griffey Jr (1, bobble). DP: 2 (A Boone-B Larkin-S Casey,
B Larkin-T Walker-S Casey).


----------------------------------------------------
    MONTREAL        - 052 100 000   --   8
    CINCINNATI      - 000 001 006   --   7
----------------------------------------------------

MONTREAL                     ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
M Yoshii (W, 1-0)             6       7   1   1   2   5   1   1.50
S Stewart                     1       1   0   0   0   0   0   0.00
B Reames                      1       2   4   3   2   3   0  32.40
E Vosberg                     0       1   1   1   0   0   0  13.49
M Herges (H, 1)                 2/3   2   1   0   0   0   0   0.00
G Lloyd (S, 1)                  1/3   0   0   0   0   1   0  13.50

CINCINNATI                   ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
J Haynes (L, 0-1)             2 1/3   6   7   4   2   1   0  15.42
J Rijo                        1 2/3   3   1   1   0   3   0   4.50
J Brower                      2       1   0   0   2   0   0   9.00
L Pineda                      2       2   0   0   0   3   0   3.00
S Williamson                  1       0   0   0   0   3   0   0.00

B Reames pitched to 4 batters in the 9th.
E Vosberg pitched to 1 batter in the 9th.

Pitches-strikes: M Yoshii 97-62; S Stewart 10-6; B Reames 32-20;
E Vosberg 2-1; M Herges 25-17; G Lloyd 5-4; J Haynes 65-35;
J Rijo 34-19; J Brower 23-12; L Pineda 36-24; S Williamson 18-13. Ground
balls-fly balls: M Yoshii 5-8; S Stewart 2-1; B Reames 0-0; 
E Vosberg 0-0; M Herges 2-0; G Lloyd 0-0; J Haynes 3-3; J Rijo 1-1; 
J Brower 4-2; L Pineda 2-1; S Williamson 0-0. Batters faced: M Yoshii 27;
S Stewart 4; B Reames 8; E Vosberg 1; M Herges 5; G Lloyd 1;
J Haynes 16; J Rijo 8; J Brower 7; L Pineda 8; S Williamson 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Marvin Hudson. 1B--Dana Demuth. 2B--Charles Reliford. 
3B--Kerwin Danley.

T--3:28. Att--17,123. 
Weather: 45 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 12 mph, out
to left.

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