PLAY BALL! The Pennant Fights Begin

There it is, in clear black print, on page 31 of this week's Sports Illustrated: "In the battle of Big Red Machines, pick Cincinnati to win in four."

If the Reds' bats are as mean as George Foster's countenance on the SI cover, they just may defeat Philadelphia for the National League title; but don't count on it. Just look at the match-ups: except for their second basemen, the talent is extremely close right down the line.

Catcher--Johnny Bench lost his wife and his batting touch (.234) in 1976, but he can still throw. Bob Boone and Tim McCarver hit well, but they may have trouble with Cincy's base stealers. A draw.

First Base--Tony Perez hit only .260 and had an off year for the Reds, and Richie "Crash" Allen struggled with a shoulder injury all season. On a hunch that Crash will come through in the clutch for the first time in his career, a slight edge here to the Phils.

Second Base--Joe Morgan is the best player in baseball, Period.

Shortstop--In July, Larry Bowa received a two-minute standing ovation for a great play he made on a Tony Perez grounder. Dave Concepcion, however, is the best all-round shortstop in the majors. A slight edge for the Reds.

Third Base--Pete Rose is Charlie Hustle, the MVP of the '75 Series and the 1976 league leader in hits, runs and doubles. Mike Schmidt has led the majors in home runs for three straight years, and he is the best fielding third baseman in the game. I like Schmidt, but you call it.

Left Field--29 HR's/121RBI's/.306 average for Foster, and 20/95/.304 for "Bull" Luzinski. On the basis of his glove, a vote for Foster. Both are great, though.

Center Field -- Aaagh! These guys are both great. Garry Maddox topped Cesar Geronimo in hitting--.330 to. 307--and he is almost as good as Geronimo in the field. A razor-thin advantage for Philly.

Right Field--Ken Griffey outclasses Jay Johnstone at the plate (.336 to.318) and in the field, but not by much. A close one for Cincy.

Starting Pitchers -- Steve Carlton is the best pitcher in the major league playoffs (sorry, Ed Figueroa aficianados); because of him, the Phillies must be favored to win games One and Four. Jim Lonborg has been there before, but the Reds should jump on Philadelphia's third starter -- Jim Kaat, Tom Underwood or Larry Christenson. For the Reds, lefty fireballer Don Gullett is allegedly in top form; but the Schmidt-Luzinski-Allen power block loves southpaw fastball pitchers. Rookie Pat Zachry (2.74 ERA), Fred Norman and Gary Nolan are all solid. Give the edge to Philadelphia here.

The Bullpen -- Two strong bullpens are led by Manny Sarmiento (2.06 ERA), Rawley Eastwick (2.08) and Pedro Borbon (3.31) for Cincinnati, and Ron Reed (2.46), Tug McGraw (2.51) and Gene Garber (2.81) for Philadelphia. Although McGraw has postseason experience, Eastwick stands out in this bumper crop of firemen to give the Reds a slim edge in the relief department.

Those are the match-ups, and to be truthful, the statistics don't mean much in the five-game series which starts tonight. Since I've mentioned Sports Illustrated, I might as well use that publication to predict the winner. The Reds, you see, have made five SI covers in the last year (Johnny Bench twice, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and now Foster), and the Phils have made it just once, with Schmidt. The Reds, obviously, will get the ol' Si jinx.

The Phillies in four games.