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Message #: 30852
Until the series finale, the Reds had slightly the better of the play this week. And although there were a few home runs hit, someone forgot to tell Wrigley Field that it's supposed to be a hitters' park.... Game 1: In the first three contests, the Reds revealed our secret method for winning one-run games this year (or any year) -- by choking away larger leads, of course. CIN staff ace Kevin Gross (who was almost traded last week) and Anthony Young engaged in a 1-0 game through 6 innings. Gross wasn't only pitching well, his 2-run homer followed Mark Lewis's 2-run double in the CIN 7th to give the visitors a 5-0 lead. Chicago's Turner Ward came up with 2 runners on base just a few seconds later and rolled a HR 1, fb(B) 2-20. You guessed it, the score's 5-3 now. Gross persevered until the bottom of the 9th, when he coughed up run #4 via a 2-out double from Rick Wilkins. At that point Danny Cox was summoned to try to abort the choke, and he did. Final score: 5-0 becomes 5-4 and the Reds "luck" into a win in a close decision. The two efficient offenses made the most of their few chances, combining for a mere 7 LOB. ==================================================================== Game 2: John Roper pitched his finest game of the year (8 IP, 1 run), but Pete Harnisch had a good one too. Reggie Sanders singled home a run in the top of the first, and Kevin Mitchell was permitted his one roll per week in his 2 column in the 3rd, which made it 2-0 and completed our scoring for the day. Roper's only blemish was a 2-out single in the CHN 6th which made the final score 2-1. Roper has now won each of his last 5 starts (!), turning a 1-7 record into 6-7 though his ERA has not greatly improved from the low 5's over that span. But he had until today benefited from increased offensive support. The Cubs outhit their guests for the second day in a row, but mustered only 7 total bases on their 6 hits. ==================================================================== Game 3: Continuing the same successful recipe, the Reds built a 3-0 lead. Final score: 3-2. Today's pitching duel was between former Pirate teammates John Smiley and Doug Drabek, and the scoreboard still read 0-0 after 7 innings. Chicago was making nearly as many errors (4) as they had hits (5), but the Reds charitably avoided taking much advantage, though the 1 unearned run we got eventually turned out to make a difference in the game. After the Reds took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the 8th, Smiley was bitten by a pair of solo gophers. The CIN unearned marker had come in the 7th when Sanders reached on an error and trotted home on Benito Santiago's 8th home run of the season. In Smiley's previous 4 starts, HAL had brutalized him for *46* hits in 26.1 innings. Smiley's rates of hits and gophers allowed this year are outrageously out of of line with his actual 1994 performance, in what has been a horrible season despite an 11-7 record (thank the Cincy bats for that). But he sometimes gets a small amount of enjoyment out of facing the Cubs: excluding a typical dismemberment against them in the opening series of the season, Smiley is 2-0 vs. the Cubs with a 1.01 ERA. ==================================================================== Game 4: The most underachieving defense in the major leagues may have set a record today when Cincinnati shortstops (plural, one was yanked in mid-inning) blew FOUR x-plays in the space of 7 batters in the CHN 8th. All four resulting runs from this Keystone Cops exhibition were counted as "earned", much to the disgust of CIN starter Tim Pugh. As is customary, the Reds had blown a lead earlier but were losing by only a run at the time of the hilarious hijinks, so all that did was ensure that the coffin was nailed tightly shut. Final score: 8-3. CHN batting practice pitcher Steve Trachsel had a phenomenal outing, holding the second-best offense in the league to just 5 hits, walking 1 and whiffing 6. The non-hitting Cubbie starter also excelled at the dish, raising his average to .150 with a 4 1 2 1 line that included a double. For the series, the potent Cincy attack was limited to barely 5 hits per game by a pitching staff which normally allows 5 *runs* per game. Just getting into playoff form here.... Alan |
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