N.L. Central

Sporting News, The, August 16, 1999

Teams are listed alphabetically

Race to the finish

Conventional wisdom says the Astros are poised to run away with the division, especially with the expected return of Ken Caminiti and Moises Alou. The pitching staff has the league's lowest ERA and second-highest winning percentage. And don't forget all that postseason experience. The Astros have won the division the past two seasons but have bowed out in the divisional playoffs each time.

Both the Astros and Reds have a somewhat easy schedule remaining, with about 30 percent of their games against teams considered in the hunt for postseason play. But don't discount a team that has little to lose. The Reds are younger and hungrier, and their bullpen runs the league's lowest ERA. And they have a manager who won't let them rest, even if the schedule is an easy one. Warns Jack McKeon of the Reds' cream-puff schedule: "A lot of these dubs don't care what they're doing at this time of year. They can relax and bring in new faces. There's no pressure." --Leslie Gibson McCarthy

The Contenders

                                         Reds    Askros

Record through August 7
W-L                                      63-45    68-44
Home record                              28-29    35-22
Road record                              35-16    33-22
Team batting average                      .272     .268
Rotation ERA                              4.57     3.80
Relievers' ERA                            3.00     3.95

Beginning August 13
Number of games                             49       46
Home                                        24       24
Road                                        25       22
Games against contenders                    14       15
(Reds: Phillies 6, Braves 6, Astros 2)
(Astros: Mets 6, Phillies 7, Reds 2)

Head to head
Record                                     8-3      3-8
Batting average                           .296     .213
Runs scored                                 66       39
Hits                                       112       77
Staff ERA                                 3.09     6.16

Chicago

50-59: 6th

With the season lost, team looks to the future

The team continued, and most likely completed, its late-season overhaul aimed at giving it an early look at 2000. It waived CF Curtis Goodwin, who immediately was claimed by Toronto. It also sent LHP Ray King to Class AAA Iowa. To replace them, it brought up IF/OF Chad Meyers and LHP Andrew Lorraine from Iowa. The organization had been grooming Meyers, 24, to be a second baseman for the past two years, but when the team called him up, it stuck him in center field. The Cubs originally drafted Meyers as an outfielder, but because of his superior athletic ability, they converted him to second base. But the club had a need for speed and on-base ability at the top of the lineup, and with Mickey Morandini playing well at second, the Cubs decided to put Meyers in the outfield.... With SS Jose Nieves and Meyers now up, the team is out of Class AAA players ready to make the jump to the big leagues.

SIX-SHOOTER: A modified six-man pitching rotation isn't out of the question. Lorraine earned another start after shutting out the Astros last Friday. Kevin Tapani, Jun Lieber and Steve Trachsel already are rotation mainstays. LHP Micah Bowie, picked up at the trade deadline, also is in the rotation to stay. Rookie RHP Kyle Farnsworth earned a start after some decent bullpen work. Manager Jim Riggleman says he'll use all six as starters, but not necessarily in a straight rotation.

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: Since CF Lance Johnson went on the D.L. in mid-June, the team has used four different leadoff men: Morandini, Jeff Blauser, Goodwin and Meyers. In 56 games since Johnson last started, the leadoff hitters were batting .235. The team gladly will say goodbye to Johnson, 36, at the end of the season when his contract runs out But he was a key factor down the stretch last season as the team won the wild card. He hit .337 in August and .345 in September after coming back from a hand injury. The club is hoping to get a handle on Meyers' ability as a No. 1 hirer during the final two months. --Bruce Miles

GRADING OUT

OFFENSE C

With season shot, all eyes are on Sammy for his role in Act II of the home run chase.

PITCHING D

Wind has blown in most of the season at Wrigley. Still, ERA is second-worst behind Rockies.

DEFENSE

Meyers and Nieves may be rough at first, but give club needed speed and range.

CUBS

                AVG     G    AB    R     H   HR   RBI

Rodriguez( )   .340    94   318   58   108   22    77
Hill           .331    63   175   34    58   16    38
Grace( )       .323   109   406   77   131   12    63
Alexander      .296    58   135   16    40    0    14
Sosa           .295   109   430   85   127   42    95
(*)Nieves      .269     8    26    2     7    0     2
Morandini( )   .261    99   364   49    95    3    32
Houston( )     .252    84   210   23    53    9    26
Blauser        .252    66   135   31    34    7    19
Reed( )        .250    66   164   18    41    2    19
Santiago       .236    87   288   23    68    5    29
Gaetti         .196    77   204   18    40    8    37
(*)Meyers      .000     2     8    0     0    0     0

GRAND SLAMS: Gaetti (2), Grace (1)

                OBP    SLG   SB    K   BB    E

Rodriguez( )   .425   .613    2   74   48    5
Hill           .380   .657    4   43   15    4
Grace( )       .408   .485    2   22   60    6
Alexander      .338   .385    4   21    9    6
Sosa           .361   .644    6  114   45    4
(*)Nieves      .310   .308    0    4    0    2
Morandini( )   .329   .357    6   44   34    3
Houston( )     .322   .424    1   54   22   16
Blauser        .366   .467    2   35   18    5
Reed( )        .351   .366    0   41   25    5
Santiago       .295   .347    0   58   23    5
Gaetti         .266   .353    0   38   19    8
(*)Meyers      .111   .000    0    3    1    0

GRAND SLAMS: Gaetti (2), Grace (1)

                  ERA    W-L    G      IP     H    R

Lorraine( )      0.00    1-0    1     9.0     3    0
Adams            3.72    3-2   30    36.1    36   17
Lieber           3.81    8-5   21   134.2   162   70
(*)Rain          4.50    0-0    7     6.0     8    5
Tapani           4.50   6-10   21   126.0   132   71
Heredia( )       4.58    3-0   47    39.1    37   22
Sanders          5.17    4-5   43    76.2    86   47
(*)Farnsworth    6.01    2-5   19    79.1    95   56
Trachsel         6.29   4-14   23   136.0   151   98
Serafini( )      6.71    3-2   36    55.0    76   44
Beck            11.09    2-4   22    18.2    34   23
(*)Bowie( )     15.26    0-2    4     7.2    15   13

                ER   HR     K   BB   SV   Avg.

Lorraine( )      0    0     4    1    0   .107
Adams           15    6    33   18    9   .261
Lieber          57   16   114   35    0   .297
(*)Rain          3    0     5    1    0   .348
Tapani          63    8    68   29    0   .269
Heredia( )      20    5    38   14    1   .248
Sanders         44   16    65   32    2   .286
(*)Farnsworth   53   18    40   32    0   .296
Trachsel        95   25    94   44    0   .282
Serafini( )     41    7    16   29    1   .335
Beck            23    4    10    9    7   .395
(*)Bowie( )     13    2     5    8    0   .417