John Bracket: 1969 Cincinnati Reds defeat 1969 San Diego Padres in seven games

The Padres, losers of 110 games in their inaugural season, may be the weakest team in the 64-team field of this tournament, but they wound up one win shy of an upset first-round triumph.

Game One: Padres 6, Reds 4: This game was not as close as the score indicates. Joe Niekro threw eight shutout innings for San Diego and had a double in the Padres' four-run fourth. The Reds plated four runs in the ninth after the Padres pinch-hit for Niekro, but it wasn't enough.

Game Two: Reds 6, Padres 1: Cincinnati even the series with a pair of three-run innings against Clay Kirby, and Tony Cloninger allowed one run in six innings. Johnny Bench drove in a pair of runs and Jack Fisher threw three scoreless innings for the save.

Game Three: Padres 3, Reds 2: San Diego got a strong start from Al Santorini, who allowed one run in six innings. A key error by Cincinnati shortstop Woody Woodward resulted in three unearned runs in the seventh inning, enough to give the game to the Padres.

Game Four: Reds 5, Padres 3: Alex Johnson hit a three-run homer in the first inning off Johnny Padres, and the Reds never relinquished the lead. Light-hitting shortstop Darrel Chaney, who got the start after Woodward's costly error in the previous game, drove in a pair of runs for Cincinnati. Gary Nolan went seven innings for the win.

Game Five: Padres 5, Reds 2: Niekro threw a complete game as the Padres for the third time took a one-game lead in the series. Lee May hit a pair of solo homers to account for the Reds' tallies, one in the first inning and another in the ninth. Ed Spiezio drove in three runs for the Padres.

Game Six: Reds 8, Padres 2: San Diego led 2-0 after three innings, but Johnson homered in the fourth and Bobby Tolan drove in two of the Reds' three runs in the fifth as they took the lead. A four-run eighth turned the game into a rout for the Reds.

Game Seven: Reds 8, Padres 1: The Reds lead the game three batters in, and the Padres never caught up. Another big inning, this time five runs in the ninth, turned another competitive game into another rout. Bench hit a bases-loaded triple 

Projected rotation: Merritt-Nolan-Maloney-Cloninger-(Merritt)-(Nolan)-(Maloney). Flipping Maloney and Cloninger is an option. No restrictions on the bullpen to open the second round.