|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Anything but Red hot Cincinnati struggles recapture '99 magic
Posted: Monday April 24, 2000 01:21 PM
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Junior isn't hitting, the pitching staff isn't getting anyone out and the medical report isn't very encouraging. The Cincinnati Reds seem to have lost their small-market magic of 1999. After three weeks, the consensus pick to win the NL Central is trying to pick itself up off the ground. The Reds had a day off Monday after one of their worst series in a generation. The Reds got pummeled 36-7 in three losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers this past weekend, the most runs they've given up in a series since 1969. They never looked this bad at any point last year. "They've got to realize you can't take it for granted," manager Jack McKeon said. "You've got to work hard to do it again." The Reds won 96 games last season and appeared in good position for another run at the playoffs when they kept the roster essentially intact and added Ken Griffey Jr. So far, no such luck. The Reds' record is no worse off -- at 8-10, they're actually a game ahead of last April. But a lot of the things that worked in their favor last season are now working against them.
"We're just playing like a bad team right now," third baseman Aaron Boone said. "On this homestand, our four losses were about as bad as they can be and our two wins were about as good as they can be. "We know what we're capable of doing and we've got to hurry up and start playing like it." The Reds' offense seemed to be coming together when Casey returned from a broken thumb last Wednesday and the Reds won two straight. But Larkin tore up a finger on his glove hand while diving for a ball Friday night and had surgery, leaving him out for up to a month. "He's one of the reasons I came here," Griffey said. "It's tough." Griffey pulled back muscles in the same inning Larkin got hurt and went 2-for-11 last weekend. His teammates aren't doing much better: Casey has looked rusty while hitting .222 and Dante Bichette is 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position. Something's missing. "Sometimes I think everybody's sitting back and waiting for Junior, and that's not going to happen," McKeon said. "He's just a piece of the puzzle and that's a lot of pressure on him to carry the load." The pitching staff has been a huge letdown. The major leagues' top bullpen in '99 has an ERA of 5.87, while the starters' ERA is 6.04. No. 1 starter Pete Harnisch, the Reds' top winner the last two seasons, has a 9.64 ERA and a stiff forearm. The best statistics in the rotation belong to Rob Bell, a rookie called up from Double-A. Asked if he could use another pitcher, McKeon said, "Well, I was saying that last year. We won 96 games and we still could have used another pitcher." Nobody's ready for a promotion from Triple-A and general manager Jim Bowden has been frustrated in his attempts to trade for another starter. It's entirely up to this staff for the foreseeable future. "We'll go as far as our pitching takes us," Larkin said. The early returns suggest that won't be as far as last year. McKeon had warned his players that it's much harder to repeat a successful season, and the first three weeks have made his point. "We're fools if we think we can just throw our gloves on the field and just do it," Boone said.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
