OAKLAND, Calif. - They're living on the wire. It's a big part of their appeal. Who's going to pull the rabbit from the hat tonight? The Reds have been the National League's best team and best story. But nobody stays on the wire forever.

They can't keep playing close to .600 ball if they don't keep playing close to perfect. And no team plays close to perfect very long. That was obvious Monday night, when Oakland hammered Cory Lidle early and often, and Tuesday, when one fielding mistake took the Reds right out of the game.

Tim Hummel allowed a routine double-play groundball to leak beneath his glove in the first inning. If Hummel makes the play, young and wondering Jung Keun Bong gets out of the first inning of his first start unharmed. Instead, he gave up five runs and the Reds lost for the second night in a row.

The Reds don't have a small margin for error. They have no margin at all. "We have to remind ourselves to take the outs when we have them," is how manager Dave Miley put it.

Now, the joy and suspense of the Ken Griffey Jr. Watch comes with its own irony: We could be watching the beginning of the end of the Reds' spring fling.

Barry Larkin is out and possibly headed to the disabled list. The captain has had an All Star-worthy two months and is a clubhouse rock. The starting pitching is beginning to leak. The Reds could have been swept at home by Montreal last weekend; at the very least, they should have lost two of three.

They were never in Monday's game, losing 13-2, and removed themselves from serious consideration after an inning Tuesday. Hummel "misread the ball a little bit," said first base coach and infield instructor Randy Whisler, who has spent a lifetime this spring hammering home fundamentals, and at least as long reminding players why they can't mess up.

"We're not in a position where we can give up five outs an inning. ... We should have been out of the inning with nothing," Whisler said.

Hummel felt bad about the error. "It gave them a bunch of runs," he said, "but if the next guy makes an out, probably nobody remembers it." As it was, the next four A's reached base. Damian Miller ended the night's suspense with a three-run double.

A case can be made that Cincinnati has done it with smoke and mirrors. Teams that have been outscored by 11 runs - as the Reds had been before Wednesday - aren't often in first place, 10 games over .500. Ditto for teams with the league's fourth-worst ERA.

Injuries to Larkin, Austin Kearns and Paul Wilson have revealed the limitations of the Reds' major-league depth and minor-league talent. When Wilson missed a start, Joe Valentine, a reliever, was called up to start and lasted an inning. Bong pitched better than his results, but Oakland still whacked his pitches all over the yard.

Without Larkin, the Reds are lacking leadership, and pop at shortstop. Felipe Lopez is the new man, if that thrills you. And given Larkin's age, there's no guarantee he won't fray a little more upon his return. Only two shortstops in history have played more than 100 games a season after they turned 40: Honus Wagner and Luke Appling. That was a very long time ago

Maybe Jose Acevedo, Wilson and Lidle can hold things together while Bong learns and Larkin and Kearns heal. Maybe the magic lasts a bit longer. Reality seems overdue, however.

E-mail pdaugherty@enquirer.com