Tuesday, July 1, 1997
Mercker exercises
'damage control'

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Survives shaky start to win
fifth straight decision

BY TIM BROWN
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Lenny Harris avoids a tag by Jose Valentin as he slides into second with a fifth-inning double. (AP photo). | ZOOM |

Joe Oliver drove in three two-out runs, Bret Boone drove in a seventh-inning run, and the Reds defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in an interleague game Monday night at Cinergy Field.

Through that and a rain delay of nearly an hour, three hits from Hal Morris, and another save by Jeff Shaw, just 48 hours before the National League's All-Star pitching staff is announced, it was Kent Mercker who again held it all together.

It was Mercker who pitched two scoreless innings after the downpour, who righted himself after the Brewers seemed to crush every early fastball, and who won his fifth consecutive decision.

Mercker (6-5) allowed seven hits and three runs in a start that lacked his recent velocity and control. He won anyway, which is just like him recently.

"That's big for me," said Mercker, who allowed all three runs in the first three innings. "That's a big confidence boost right there. I call it damage control. Just try to get out with as little damage as possible.

"Tonight I said, 'You know what, forget it.' I've given up three runs through three innings. Big deal.' It wasn't pretty, but it worked."

Oliver, who played one season for the Brewers in 1995, hit a two-run home run in the second inning to draw the Reds even at 2-2, in a game delayed in the fifth inning for 52 minutes by rain. He then singled with two out in the sixth to tie the score again.

I'm just seeing the ball real good right now," said Oliver. "Merck struggled early, the rain delay seemed to help. He was getting his fastball up in the zone. I told him to be patient, we'd find it." In his first Cinergy appearance since he was optioned to the minor leagues, recalled and then bruised his hand, Boone chopped a one-out grounder to third base that scored Jeff Branson. It gave the Reds their first lead, and Shaw a chance at his 16th save. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Boone, who hadn't played since last Wednesday because of a sore hand, pinch hit and grounded out weakly in the sixth. He heard a collective ''boo'' as he returned to the bench.

''When you're hitting .200, it ain't 'Boone,' '' he said. ''But I can't worry about that. It was just nice to get out there. It felt like a long time. It was a long time. It was weird.''

Brewers reliever Mike Fetters (1-4) walked pinch-hitter Branson, the first hitter of the seventh, and was the loser.

"It was a disgusting sort of loss," said Brewers manager Phil Garner, whose team has the worst road record in baseball (12-28). "It was worse than frustrating, it stunk."

He was especially put out by Fetters.

" That (walk to Branson) was a killer. Fetters knows it, I know it. You've got to pitch to him. You can't walk him. Let him hit it out of the park before walking him," groaned Garner. "We had all kinds of opportunities to beat them. Their bullpen is in shambles. If we beat them, we put them in a bind the rest of the series." Amid the third-round, interleague rush of Braves at Yankees, Giants at Mariners, Expos at Blue Jays, the tradeoff was Padres at A's, Twins at Cardinals and, yes, Brewers at Reds.

On a dreary, misty evening, the Reds drew a crowd of 19,866, about 3,000 fewer than their average.

The Brewers arrived winners of their previous three interleague games - all against the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Reds could attest to the impressiveness of that. They spent last weekend losing three of four to the Cardinals.

Vulnerable away from Milwaukee County Stadium, the Brewers are 12-28 on the road.

Early on, they appeared plenty comfortable here, where they led 3-2 in the fifth inning, before the stadium filled with rain water, and before Oliver's third at-bat. Perhaps it is their affinity for aging ballparks, and perhaps their comfort with another mediocre Central Division club, regardless of league affiliation. The Brewers have winning records against both.

Mercker, who along with rookie Brett Tomko is the closest thing the Reds have to consistency in their rotation, allowed single runs in the first through third innings. The Brewers had six hits and eight baserunners in the first four innings.

It was an unusual start for Mercker, who hadn't been hit this hard since his final start of April, when Atlanta beat him 12-3.

"I was just erratic," Mercker said.

Jeromy Burnitz was hit by a pitch with one out in the first inning, and Jeff Cirillo doubled hard into left-center field. The baseball bounded over the fence. Dave Nilsson's grounder to first base scored Burnitz with the game's first run.

Reds' opponents have scored first in each of the past 10 games, six times in the first inning. The Reds are 14-33 when they are second to the scoreboard.

The Brewers led 2-0 after their second inning, when Gerald Williams homered to left field.

Oliver, whose four hits on the homestand include two home runs, tied the score, 2-2, with a two-out, two-run homer in the second. Oliver jerked a 1-and-1 pitch off Brewers starter Cal Eldred for his fifth home run. Morris, who singled twice before the rain delay, singled to center field ahead of Oliver.

The tie lasted just long enough for the Reds to make the final out of the second inning. Mark Loretta, the Brewers' leadoff hitter and the first batter of the third, homered to left field for a 3-2 lead.

Mercker had not allowed two home runs in a start this season, and had allowed one in his last four starts, over 32 innings.

Enquirer news sevrices contributed to this report.

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