Game of July 17: Cardinals 6, Reds 4

Cards stack deck with sweep

Reds end homestand 7 1/2 games behind

The series began with a three-game winning streak, high hopes and a chance to cut the St. Louis Cardinals' division lead to just 1ï games.

The series ended with a three-game losing streak, dashed hopes, a 7 1/2-game lead for St. Louis and a closed-door team meeting for the Reds.

That was the fallout Wednesday after the Cardinals' 6-4 victory. It gave St. Louis a sweep of the three-game series and five straight wins over the Reds in all.

On a day that also saw embattled CEO Marge Schott banned from Riverfront by the National League, it was tempting to wonder what might have been had the Cardinals' Ray Lankford or Brian Jordan been banned instead. But that thinking would do a disservice to the Cardinals' dominance.

From Lankford on Monday to John Mabry (a three-run, first inning homer) on Wednesday, the Cardinals got all the key hits, made all the big plays, and basically played like a team that believes one matchup of the National League playoffs will be subtitled Meet Me in St. Louis.

''They just did everything right this series,'' Barry Larkin said.

''To me, they're the best team in the division,'' Reds manager Ray Knight said. ''They're a better ballclub than we are right now.''

The Cardinals are 22-7 against NL Central opponents and have won 19 of their last 22 games against the rest of the division.

''The Cardinals made a statement,'' Knight said. ''(But) I am not going to accept something that I don't believe. And what I don't believe is that we can't play with them.''

From defensive lapses (three errors charged; others could have been) to hitting with men on, to making good pitches in crucial situations, the Reds were far from at their best in the series.

''I wasn't happy with the way we played,'' Knight said. ''I don't think we played good fundamental baseball.''

That was one of the reasons for the meeting, the first of its kind since a session in Montreal in the middle of that nine-game losing streak in April.

While ''99 out of 100 of those things never amount to anything,'' Knight said, ''this had more substance than most do.

''The players were able to talk. We got some things off our chests and found out where everybody stands. It has to be positive.''

Without getting into specifics, Knight said some ''opposite views'' were aired out.

''There were some good things said. There were some things said that I didn't necessarily agree with, but that's part of the whole process. The thing is to be united and think the same way after you come out of there, and I feel like we do.''

Players were fairly closed-mouthed afterward. But Bret Boone said, ''There was nothing that exciting.

''We just got our butts kicked for three days, and we know it's time to pick it back up. We're going into Pittsburgh with the intention of trying to beat somebody up. We can't dwell on today.''

From the Reds' perspective, there wasn't much to dwell on out of Wednesday. The Cardinals rallied for four runs off Mark Portugal (6-6), the Reds' most reliable starter of the last month, in the first inning, capped by Mabry's homer.

Though Portugal then settled down to retire 14 straight, the Reds couldn't manage more than a run here and there off Andy Benes (8-8). The Reds were never closer than two runs the entire game, and the only time they had the tying runs on base, Reggie Sanders popped out to end the inning.

''This is no time to mope around or feel sorry for ourselves,'' Boone said. ''We've just got to fight through it.''

The Reds open an eight-game road trip today in Pittsburgh with a lot at stake: With the deadline for non-waiver trades looming in less than two weeks, it looks like time to put up (enough wins to get back into contention) or shut up (and look to trade marketable players and play prospects).

Knight raised the possibility of the Reds contending for the NL's wild-card spot, though Wednesday's loss left them 5 1/2 games off the pace being set by Montreal - and with three other clubs (Colorado, San Diego, New York) in better position to make a run.

''Everything's been focused on winning the division,'' Knight said. ''But you'd better check how far you are behind that wild-card team. You don't want to decimate your ballclub if you have a chance at that.''

Knight said the players still believe they can contend this year. ''They know that,'' he said. ''They know that.

''I'm certainly not conceding anything,'' Knight said.

How the runs scored

REDS 3RD (Andy Benes pitching): Harris homered. Portugal singled. Morris grounded into force play, reaching on fielder's choice. Greene grounded out, Morris to second. Larkin popped out. One run, two hits. Cardinals, 4-1.

REDS 4TH: Sanders singled to deep short. Sanders stole second. Taubensee flied out, Sanders to third. Davis reached on infield single, scoring Sanders. Boone struck out. Harris grounded into force play. One run, two hits. Cardinals, 4-2.

CARDINALS 7TH: Pagnozzi walked. Gallego sacrificed, Pagnozzi to second. Benes grounded out, Pagnozzi to third. Smith reached on third baseman Greene's error, scoring Pagnozzi. McGee grounded into fielder's choice. One run, no hits. Cardinals, 5-2.

REDS 7TH: Harris reached second on Benes' throwing error. Anthony, batting for Portugal, grounded out, Harris to third. Morris grounded out, scoring Harris. Greene popped out. One run, no hits. Cardinals, 5-3.

CARDINALS 8TH (Service pitching): One out. Jordan homered. Mabry singled. Gaetti flied out. Pagnozzi grounded into force play. One run, two hits. Cardinals, 6-3.

REDS 8TH: Larkin homered. Sanders grounded out. Taubensee grounded out. Davis popped out. One run, one hit. Cardinals, 6-4.

Published July 18, 1996.