From: rstimets@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (robert and stimets)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Reds overcome anemic offense with great pitching Reds/Expos  Aug 23
Summary: Rijo/Dibble shut down Montreal 1-0.
Date: 23 Aug 92 23:58:03 GMT
Organization: Indiana University

Cincinnati broke a four-game losing streak despite a miserable offensive
attack by shutting out the Montreal Expos today, 1-0.
It was the fourth 1-0 game Cinci has played in this year and their second win in 
such games.  Jose Rijo and Rob Dibble combined for 12 strikeouts and retired the 
last 17 Expo batters in the shutout, while the Reds batters again popped meekly
to the infield or missed altogether when the heat was on, going 0 for 12 with 
runners in scoring position.  I don't usually post this particular stat, but 
today's listing spells doom for the Reds in '92:
   
         Batting :  Runners in Scoring Position
           Less than two outs
            Cincinnati				Montreal
	     Sanders  0 for 2			  Willard 0 for 1
	     Larkin   0 for 2			  
	     Coles    0 for 1
	     Oliver   0 for 1
	     Morris   0 for 1

	  With two out				Montreal
	     Morris   0 for 2			  Vander Wal   0 for 1
	     Rijo     0 for 1	  		  
	     Doran    0 for 2

  The Reds left 8 men on base compared to Montreal's 3.

  THIS IS TERRIBLE!!!!

  A team who has any hope or desire to finish first this late in the year must
tell themselves so.  It seems like every man putting on a Red uniform these
days does so with a bit of anguish--having to go out to the park another day.
It's been a miserable roadtrip for the squad and quite expectedly they've lost 
another game to the Braves, who won at home last night and look tonight to 
maintain their seven game lead in the NL West.
  Meanwhile the Expos look to overtaking the Pirates.  I certainly don't want
to take away from their accomplishments in their homestand:  they took one from 
a very hot Atlanta club and two from a "fading-fast" Reds team.  But their 
offense, too, looked a bit shaken by Reds pitching in the series.  Tim Belcher,
who hadn't pitched into the eighth in two months did so on Friday with a 3-3
tie.  (This has got to go down as a major blunder by Lou Piniella this year)
He gave up a walk and a single and was mercifully lifted in that dramatic
inning in which Rob Dibble faced pinch-hitter Moises Alou who hit the first 
pitch he saw--a 99 mph fastball high and inside--over the left field fence
just fair.  It was their second extra-base hit of the night.  The next night,
with Greg Swindell on the mound for the Reds, the Expos should have and did have
their work cut out for them: they managed just two runs off him in seven innings,
but that that was enough as the Reds limped to just 1 run on 5 base hits off 
Brian Barnes.  
  On the just-ended roadtrip Cinci managed just 28 hits in 6 games.  No wonder
they reside where they do.  It's been painful watching them, though a few glimmers
of sparks are evident from the Montreal series:
  Paul O'Neill went 3 for 8 in three games and seemed to have a bead on the ball.
    He got an RBI, two runs, two doubles, and two walks.
  Hal Morris, though going just 1 for 11 hit the ball HARD several times but in
    the wrong places.  He got a double Friday, and struck out but once in the 
    series.  His average was dropping steadily before he went on the DL, but
    coming off he seemed to have a bit of stride.  We'll see.

On the other hand:
  Barry Larkin saw his average drop from .309 to .299 as the poor guy got one hit
   in 16 AB's in his umpteenth consecutive start.
  Bip Roberts went 2-for-4 Sunday after a day off Saturday.  Whaddya think. Lou??


The Lines:


Cincinnati
		AB	H   R  RBI	LO  BB  SO
Roberts lf	4	2   0   0       1   0   0
Sanders cf	3	0   0   0	1   1   1
Larkin ss	4	1   0   0	0   0   0
Morris 1b	4	0   0   0	2   0   1
O'Neill rf	3	1   1   0   	0   1   0
Doran 2b	4	1   0   0   	3   0   2
  Dibble p	0	0   0   0	0   0   0
Coles 3b	4	0   0   1 	0   0   1
Oliver c	4	1   0   0	0   0   0
Rijo p		3	1   0   0	1   0   1
  Branson 2b	1	0   0   0	0   0   1

TOTAL           34      7   1   1       8   2   7


Montreal
		AB	H   R  RBI	LO  BB  SO
DeShields 2b	4	1   0   0	0   0   1
Cordero ss	3 	0   0   0  	0   0   1
  Fletcher ph	1	0   0   0	0   0   1
Grissom cf	4	0   0   0	0   0   1
Walker rf	3	1   0   0	0   0   0
Willard 1b	3	0   0   0	0   0   1
Vander Wal lf	3	1   0   0	2   0   1
Wallach 3b	3	0   0   0	1   0   2
Laker c		3	1   0   0	0   0   2
Hill p		3	0   0   0	0   0   2
  Alou ph	0	0   0   0	0   0   0
  Valdez p	0	0   0   0	0   0   0

TOTAL		30	4   0   0	3   0   12



Error:  Willard (throwing to first,  runner eventually scored UE run)
2b:	O'Neill (off Hill, in 6th, 2 out, 0 on, stranded) 17
SB:	Roberts (off Hill/Laker in first, stranded)
        Roberts (off Hill/Laker in third, stranded) 24
CS:	Grissom (Rijo/Oliver) 11
        Laker (Rijo/Oliver) 1

------------------------------------------------------------------
		1  2  3    4  5  6    7  8  9   TOT
Cincinnati	0  1  0    0  0  0    0  0  0    0
Montreal	0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0    0

------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitching

Cincinnati	IP	R	ER	H	BB	K
Rijo W 10-9	7	0	0	5	0	8
Dibble S 16	2	0 	0	0	0	4

Montreal
Hill L 13-7	8	1	0	7	2	6
Valdez		1	0	0	0	0	1

WP:  	Hill
DP:   Montreal 1

UMPS:  Rapuano/Tata/Rippley/Rennert
T:  2:20
Att:  34,998


Upcoming for Cinci:
  Mon  PHI Rivera 3-2  vs.  CIN Hammond 6-8
  Tue	 Ashby(?)		        Belcher 10-12
  Wed	 Mulholland(?)		        Swindell 12-7

REDS FANS:
  It's time to look for a sweep or two.  It can and should happen at home
    against the Phillies, and again with a seven game homestand against
    the Expos and the Mets next week (ending the year against the East)
    the Reds need to win a BUNCH to have a real chance in September.
  Don't give up, though!  The Reds are killers at home and the Braves have
    quite a few games against winning teams left!!!!


C'mon Cinci: make this an interesting race!!

RStimets
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball