Manager Jack McKeon's shuffling of the batting order Saturday had right fielder Dante Bichette hitting sixth, a slot he hasn't occupied since May 25, 1998.

        It worked for Bichette, who homered during a 3-for-5 afternoon in Cincinnati's 4-3, 11-inning victory over the Chicago Cubs. Dmitri Young rose from fifth to cleanup, Bichette's usual spot, while Eddie Taubensee, who has hit sixth this year, moved to fifth. Young and Taubensee each went 1-for-5.

        “I'm just trying to do something and see if we can get lucky,” McKeon said. “We do that occasionally.”

        After lifting his average from .105 to .208, Bichette said he was more selective.

        “There's one thing in the game that's going to be constant forever: You're only as good as the pitches you swing at,” he said. “Babe Ruth couldn't hit the pitches I've been trying to hit. They've been a foot inside or in the dirt. I've been trying to do too much. All I did today was tell myself to get a strike, get a good pitch to hit.”

        AYBAR REPORTS: Pitcher Manny Aybar, who reported to the Reds on Saturday morning after being acquired for Gabe White on Friday, initially will be used as a reliever but could be tried as a starter if pitching coach Don Gullett refines his skills.

        “I'm ready if they come to me about starting; I'm ready if they come to me about the bullpen,” Aybar said.

        Though Aybar said the trade surprised him, he occasionally sensed that joining the Reds was preordained because he heard about the team all the time while growing up in the Dominican Republic. “My father liked them,” Aybar said.

        GOODBYE, GABE: If any of the Reds should have been emotional over White's departure, it was Danny Graves, the left-hander's closest friend on the team.

        But Graves, whose Friday night joke about “cutting the umbilical cord” reflected his bond with White, maintained a professional attitude.

        “I think it's going to work out well for Gabe. I think (Colorado manager) Buddy Bell is going to use him a lot, and in a lot of different roles. When you have a lefty who throws 90 mph and throws strikes, how can you not give him a chance somewhere?”

        Though White clearly slipped to the bottom of the pecking order in the Reds' bullpen last year, Graves disagreed with the notion that the team gave up on him.

        “It's just that everybody else who was given an opportunity to pitch was performing,” Graves said. “When the rest of us are doing well, it's kind of hard to throw someone else in there and see if he's going to do well. The opportunities weren't there for him.”

        As for the deal's personal ramifications, Graves said, “When you have a group like ours, it's tough to leave all your friends. But we know the business side of this. You have to do what you can to make a team better, and I don't think (the Reds) had plans for Gabe this year.”

        At least White should have a smooth transition. The Reds will be reunited with him on Monday when they begin a three-game series at Colorado. Graves also pointed out that ex-Red Stan Belinda now pitches for the Rockies.

        “Maybe they can start a NASCAR league in Colorado like we have here,” Graves said.

        MOVING DAY: With White gone, Graves' new clubhouse neighbor is Pete Harnisch. Graves and Harnisch live near each other in Lake Mary, Fla., in the offseason.

        Graves, who invited Harnisch to join the corner of the clubhouse that was exclusively populated by relief pitchers, joked that the struggling starter wanted to make a bullpen appearance.

        Said Harnisch, “I figure the way I'm going, I've got one foot in the bullpen anyway.”

        ETC.: Fearful that the early afternoon drizzle might ruin the hardware, the Reds canceled the pregame ceremony in which their major award winners were to receive their trophies.

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