clarinews@clarinet.com (09/21/89)
CINCINNATI (UPI) -- Jack Clark scored from third base with one out in the 10th inning on a throwing error by third baseman Luis Quinones Wednesday night to pace the San Diego Padres to a 3-1 triumph over Cincinnati, the Reds' ninth straight loss. With one out in the 10th, Clark walked off loser Norm Charlton, 6-3, and took third on a single by Chris James. Clark scored and James advanced to third on third baseman Quinones throwing error to the plate on a grounder by Bentio Santiago. James scored on pinch hitter Carmelo Martinez' ground out to put the Padres up 3-1. Greg Harris, 7-8, pitched one inning to pick up the victory for the Padres, who entered the night five games behind the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West. Mark Davis pitched the 10th for his 41st save. The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Todd Benzinger hit his second double of the game, moved to third on a fly ball and scored when Ed Whitson unleashed a two-out wild pitch. San Diego tied it, 1-1, in the fifth when Roberto Alomar singled, stole his 40th base and continued to third on Jeff Reed's passed ball. Almomar scored on Garry Templeton's sacrifice fly to right.
clarinews@clarinet.com (09/21/89)
CINCINNATI (UPI) -- The Cincinnati Reds' woes continue to mount while their losing streak continues to grow. San Diego's Padres, who are surging to a possible National League West showdown with front-running San Francisco, dealt Cincinnati its ninth straight loss Wednesday night, 3-1 in 10 innings, to assure the Reds of their first losing season since 1984, when they finished 70-92. Now 12 games under .500 at 70-82, Cincinnati appears headed for a fifth-place finish in the NL West unless fourth-place Los Angeles falters. Veteran righthander Ed Whitson, coming back from a strained bicep tendon in his right arm he suffered last Thursday in Atlanta, held the Reds at bay for eight innings, limiting them to three hits, but it took an error by third baseman Luis Quinones to open the floodgates in the 10th inning, when the Padres scored twice to snap a 1-1 tie. ``We just can't score any runs,'' said interim Reds manager Tommy Helms after another good effort by starter Tim Leary was wasted. ``Tonight we get one run, and that came on a wild pitch. Our pitching has been decent, but we've got to put some points on the board.'' Talking about Quinones' error, which permitted Jack Clark to score from third in the 10th with the winning run, Helms noted that ``errors are a part of the game and Luis had plenty of time. He made the right play but his throw to the plate was way wide.'' Padres manager Jack McKeon credited Clark with smart baserunning on the game-winning play. ``That was the key,'' said McKeon, ``because Clark got himself in the line of the throw and was able to score.'' San Diego added a second run on Carlos Martinez' fielders choice grounder on which Benito Santiago crossed the plate. ``Whitson was outstanding, he was super,'' McKeon declared. ``It was one of the better-pitched games we've had all year and I hated to take him out. I was hoping he could go five innings and he probably could have gone 12.'' Whitson, 16-11 with a 2.62 earned run average, said he actually felt stronger in the seventh and eighth innings than he had early in the contest. ``I'd say my velocity was the best it's been all year and I just made one bad pitch, that wild pitch, when I squeezed my silder and tried to throw it too hard.'' With the Reds now within one of their longest losing streak of the season, a 10-game skid from July 16-26 that saw them fall 10 under .500 at 45-55, Helms had no excuses to offer. ``We took Leary out after six innings because of a blister on his hand,'' Helms said. ``He's been doing a great job, but we just haven't been getting him any runs. I just hope our hitters aren't pressing too hard, because we just had four hits tonight and you can't win many games with that kind of offense. ``Nothing's working for us right now but we'll still put a team out there tomorrow and see what happens.'' Leary, obviously discouraged after failing to win since Aug. 11, settled for his third no-decision in his last four starts, with Norm Charlton, 6-3, saddled with the loss. ``Here's the blister,'' said Leary, as he held up the middle finger of his right hand. ``It started bothering me in the middle innings and it limited my pitching selection because I still could throw fastballs but I had no feel for my split finger delivery.'' Leary, 8-13, called 1989 ``one of those tough years that you have to put behind you,'' adding that ``you try not to think too much, but I've had quite a few sleepless nights lately.'' Greg Harris, 7-8, who hurled the ninth inning for the Padres, got credit for the victory, with Mark Davis earning his 41st save and second in two nights to continue to pace the majors in that department. After Quinones reached first on an error leading off the 10th, Davis induced pinchhitter Barry Larkin to ground into a double play and fanned Jeff Richardson to end the game.