Cincinnati Makes a Sweeping Statement : Reds: They are saying the race is over in the NL West after beating the Padres for the fourth consecutive time, 9-2.

The Cincinnati Reds have been fighting the temptation for six months. They’ve been baited, they’ve been coerced and they’ve been beguiled. Yet, they’ve kept their mouths shut, restraining themselves from uttering the words that everyone has awaited.

But on Sunday afternoon, moments after completing a four-game sweep of the San Diego Padres with a 9-2 victory, the euphoria became too much to contain.

“It’s over,” Reds pitcher Jose Rijo said. “Yogi Berra says it’s not over until it’s over, but I say it’s over.

“I know some people will say I shouldn’t say that, but I can feel it. I know this team. I know it’s over.”

And after watching the Reds annihilate the Padres during the four-game series, padding their National League West Division lead to five games over the Dodgers with nine to play, no one was putting up much of an argument.

“I guarantee you we’ll win it,” said Reds’ pitcher Danny Jackson (6-6), who won his first game since Aug. 30. “Let me put it to you this way: all we have to do is win five games. And even if we win just five, L.A. has to win every game.

“And that’s not going to happen.”

The Reds reduced their magic number to five and return home for their last nine games.

“It’s old news to me to say they’ll be there,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said, “because they’ve been the best team in this division since the first day of the season. There’s no way the Dodgers will catch them.”

In sweeping the Padres for the first time at Jack Murphy Stadium before 20,765, the Reds outscored the Padres, 34-12, batted .353 with eight doubles and three homers and scored 20 runs with two out.

“Oh, man, they made us look silly,” Padre pitcher Bruce Hurst said. “They showed us how the game should be played. They had that fire in their eyes and had the look of a champion.”

Jackson entered the game with an 0-4 record and 7.00 earned-run average but allowed only six hits and two runs in seven innings.

Several Padres were left wondering just what the Dodgers must be thinking of them about now.

“We’re going to catch hell from them when we see them again,” Padre pitcher Dennis Rasmussen said. “And we should catch some the way we played.

“But then again, the Dodgers were just hoping anyway, weren’t they? If you want to do things right, you’ve got to do them yourself, right?”

Red Manager Lou Piniella called in eight Cincinnati veterans, letting them know the importance of the series and telling them to spread the word to the others.

“We started talking on the plane coming here,” second baseman Billy Doran said, “saying how we don’t want to back into this thing.”

Padre Ed Whitson (13-9) yielded 10 hits and seven runs in four innings. Whitson allowed more runs (four) in the second inning than he had in 24 of his starts. It was the most runs he allowed in a game since May 5, 1988.

It was that kind of weekend for the Padres. But, it has been that kind of season, too.