Pete Harnisch is winless in three starts. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

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        DENVER — Probably without realizing it, manager Jack McKeon summarized the state of the Reds perfectly after their 7-5 loss Wednesday to the Colorado Rockies.

        “We'll be all right,” McKeon said confidently between bites of a salad.

        But in McKeon's very next breath, he added, “You shouldn't lose these games. These games, you've got to win.”

        The Reds' offense is uneven. Their pitching is shaky. Their defense isn't as airtight as it should be. Make no mistake, panic will grip the Reds if they're still playing like this as summer approaches, especially if the Central Division-leading St. Louis Cardinals keep rolling.

        For now, McKeon and his players can safely grumble about their long list of shortcomings, most of which hampered them on a gorgeous Coors Field afternoon as they blew a 3-0 lead and allowed the Rockies to capture the series, 2-1. “We beat ourselves,” McKeon said.

        As the Reds (4-5) flew to Los Angeles to begin a three-game weekend series against the Dodgers on Friday, they had plenty to contemplate, including:

Ken Griffey Jr. leads the NL in RBI. | ZOOM |

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        • A lineup letup. Barry Larkin (.368) owns an eight-game hitting streak, and Ken Griffey Jr. has driven in runs in eight consecutive games to take the National League lead with 14 RBI.

        Then again, Aaron Boone is batting .161. Eddie Taubensee couldn't get the ball out of the infield in his final three at-bats Wednesday after stroking a two-run, first-inning single. Dmitri Young went 0-for-4 less than 24 hours after tying a personal best with four hits.

        The Reds scored three runs in the first inning and appeared destined for more before Hal Morris grounded into an inning-ending double play. They wasted Morris' one-out triple in the fourth inning and scored just once in the ninth after loading the bases with one out.

        “How many guys did we leave on base?” McKeon asked. Told it was nine, he said, “It looked like 19.”

        “The way we came out of the chute, I figured we'd score a bunch of runs today,” Reds right-hander Pete Harnisch said. “But he (Rockies starter Masato Yoshii) settled down or we died out a little bit. I don't know which one you want to credit. I'm sure it's a little of both.”

        • Feeling short-armed. Maybe it was because they hadn't pitched since Sunday and Saturday, respectively, but relievers Dennys Reyes (0-1) and Scott Williamson failed to match their usual standards. They combined to allow three seventh-inning runs as Colorado broke a 4-4 tie.

        Walking Brian Hunter to open the seventh was Reyes' biggest mistake. “When you walk a guy to lead off an inning in a tie ballgame, it's tough. A lot of times it comes back to haunt you,” McKeon said.

        Harnisch improved upon his first two starts, when he lasted just four innings in each. But after loading the bases with nobody out in the fourth inning, he was only one out from escaping unscathed when Yoshii, the opposing pitcher, lined a two-run single to right field that tied the score. Larkin's fielding error on Tom Goodwin's grounder produced another run that gave Colorado a 4-3 lead.

        Usually a self-critical sort, Harnisch eased up on himself when analyzing Yoshii's hit.

        “I'm not trying to be too fine with the bases loaded and two outs and the pitcher batting,” Harnisch said. “I don't feel like I let down or anything. But sometimes that's how you go. When you're going good, he pops it up or hits a little ground ball. When you're going bad, it finds a hole. He never really impressed me much swinging the bat; there are pitchers who you know swing the bat well. Credit him. He put a good swing on it.”

        • Excused absences. It's easy to overlook that the Reds have played without first baseman Sean Casey, who could return by the end of next week at the earliest. Once his broken right thumb heals, the lineup automatically should improve.

        Second baseman Pokey Reese's anticipated comeback Friday from a bruised left elbow Friday also should help the Reds. Reese was hitting .433 before being injured Monday and missing the last two starts.

        Until the Reds' performance or personnel become more whole, they're likely to lurch through the schedule, as they did Wednesday when they failed for the second time to top the .500 mark. Last year, they couldn't exceed .500 until their 37th game, when their epic 24-12 victory over Colorado here on May 19 gave them a 19-18 record.

        “As soon as we got over .500, see you later,” McKeon said.

        This time around, the Reds hope this doesn't happen too much later.

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