Cold start for Griffey, Cincinnati

Milwaukee Skyline

      Thanks to Milwaukee's bullpen, Davey Lopes got his first win as a manager while Ken Griffey Jr. remained hitless in Cincinnati. The Brewers' relievers were sensational from start to finish of a 5-1 victory Tuesday night, holding the Reds to four hits in the makeup of their season opener.

      Jeromy Burnitz did a pretty fair Junior imitation, hitting a pair of solo homers off left-handers Denny Neagle and Hector Mercado - the first time he can remember pulling off that lefty-vs.-lefty feat.

      But Lopes had the game ball and the dugout scorecard resting on his desk afterward because of his relievers, who shut down Junior and everyone else the Reds sent to the plate.

      "I feel confident that we have a strong bullpen," Lopes said. "We've just got to get those guys confident, to believe in themselves and go out and do the job."

      Milwaukee's staff has done the job against Junior, who has yet to get the ball out of the infield in six at-bats. He grounded out, grounded into a forceout and struck out twice Tuesday.

      "I've just got to go out there and do what I can," Griffey said. "I'm not feeling any pressure."

      It would be understandable if he did. Flashbulbs went off every time he came to bat as 16,761 chilled fans hoped to see his first hometown homer.

      "Once he gets his first hit and gets it out of the way, it will be like getting your first win," manager Jack McKeon said. "It seems like it's never going to come, then they come in batches. But I'd like to see them start coming in batches tomorrow."

      Instead, the Reds saw their bullpen - the best in the majors last season - get bested by Milwaukee's.

      Reliever Valerio De Los Santos got his first major league start in the makeup of Monday's opener, which was called as a 3-3 tie because of rain. The left-hander gave up only two hits, including Dmitri Young's solo homer, over five innings before leaving because of a blister.

      Jim Bruske (1-0) pitched out of a threat in the sixth and started a trend. Four Brewers relievers pitched a scoreless inning apiece to preserve the win.

      "Ever since I've been here, our bullpen's been one of our strong points," Burnitz said. "Last year they got worked too much, but they've been pretty solid every year since I've been here."

      The same fans who wrapped themselves in rain ponchos and hid under umbrellas on Monday wound up huddling under blankets for the rerun, which featured little offense until late. The Brewers pulled away by scoring four runs off the Reds' usually reliable bullpen in the last three innings.

      Milwaukee took the lead in the seventh, when Henry Blanco drew a walk from Scott Williamson (0-1), making his first appearance since winning the NL Rookie of the Year award. Marquis Grissom hit the ball sharply toward the right-field corner with two out, and Dante Bichette tried to cut it off.

      Bichette, who had a fielding error in the opener, had the ball deflect off his glove as he lost his balance and spun on the turf. He accidentally kicked it away, allowing Blanco to score and Grissom to make it to third.

      Grissom wound up on third and was awarded a triple - a decision booed by the fans when it was flashed on the scoreboard.

      "I guess I probably should have just played it as a clean double," Bichette said. "I tried to cut it off, but I think I was going so hard that I couldn't get it cleanly."

      Milwaukee loaded the bases with none out in the eighth and scored on Jose Hernandez's single and a walk to Kevin Barker by Scott Sullivan. Burnitz, who homered in the first off Neagle, completed his eighth career multihomer game in the ninth off Mercado.

      The Reds didn't sell tickets for the makeup game, instead allowing anyone with a stub from the opener to get in free. By the turnstiles' count, 16,761 of the 55,596 who showed up Monday came back for more.

      The cold front that brought unrelenting rain to the opener dropped sleet and snow on the city Tuesday. It was 35 degrees at the first pitch - a 29-degree drop from the day before - with gusty winds.

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      BORN AT THE RIGHT TIME: When Lauren Sullivan is old enough to understand, she's going to hear some amazing stories about her birthday from her father.

      And Scott Sullivan won't have to embellish them at all.

      The Cincinnati Reds reliever wound up attending the birth of his daughter early Monday morning, then pitching in the rain during a 3- 3 tie with the Milwaukee Brewers.

      "It's got to be a good sign for a good year," Sullivan said.

      Scott and Leann Sullivan have a 19-month-old son, William, and were expecting their second child around opening day. Doctors were prepared to induce labor on Tuesday, which was the Reds' scheduled day off for the week.

      Plans changed fast when Leann went into labor late Sunday night. Sullivan stayed with his wife at the hospital all night.

      "I got an hour and a half, two hours of sleep in a chair," he said. "It was an interesting night."

      Lauren was born at 8:32 a.m., weighing in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces. Her father made it to Cinergy Field in time for the opener and was called upon to pitch the fifth inning with heavy rain falling.

      "He was pretty much the way he seems all the time," manager Jack McKeon said Tuesday. "Nothing bothers him. You say to him, 'How you feel?' and he says, 'I'm ready to go.'

      "He did a good job except he couldn't get a dry ball to throw."

      Sullivan gave up two walks in a steady rain to open the sixth inning, before home plate umpire Randy Marsh called for the tarp. The game was called three hours later.

      Sullivan also pitched Tuesday night in a 5-1 loss to Milwaukee, walking a batter with the bases loaded to force in the Brewers' fourth run.

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      JR. SHIFT: Ken Griffey Jr. sometimes faced an infield shift while playing for Seattle, with teams moving the shortstop to the first- base side of second.

      The Minnesota Twins used the shift during spring training against the Reds when Griffey came up with no one on base. The Brewers used it with success on Monday.

      When Griffey led off the third inning, shortstop Mark Loretta moved to a few steps on the other side of second. Griffey hit a grounder directly to him.

      "It's been done before," Brewers manager Davey Lopes said. "It's not new."