SAN FRANCISCO — Third baseman Aaron Boone not only had dark bruises around his nose and left eye, but also a revelation.

        Boone recalled filling out a questionnaire a few days ago for Redlegs Monthly, which included this fan-submitted query: What's your scariest moment on a baseball field?

        “That was the only one I left blank. How about that?” Boone said Wednesday. “It just dawned on me. Now I can fill it in.”

        On Tuesday night, a fastball from San Francisco Giants right-hander Russ Ortiz hit Boone in the face. Boone escaped with only a hairline fracture of his nose, mainly because Ortiz's pitch struck the bill of Boone's batting helmet before caroming into the side of his nose.

        “I'm actually a little giddy, just in feeling fortunate,” said Boone, who will be fitted for a protective shield and could play during the San Diego series that begins Friday. Juan Castro played third base Wednesday.

        Anybody who saw the mishap will be left with the image of Boone lying facedown at home plate, kicking both legs in apparent agony.

        “I knew I got hit pretty hard,” Boone said. “I wasn't in pain, but ... I was trying to get my wits about me. Then I reached around, touched my face, felt blood and kind of got nervous. I had my eyes closed. I was just scared more than anything.”

        Boone said his nose felt OK.

        ROSTER MOVE: Having recovered from his May 31 appendectomy, outfielder Alex Ochoa will be activated from the disabled list and will rejoin the Reds Friday. Ochoa was 1-for-8 in a two-game rehabilitation stint with Double-A Chattanooga.

        First baseman D.T. Cromer was optioned to Triple-A Louisville to clear room for Ochoa. Cromer, batting .321, was 0-for-7 while serving exclusively as a pinch hitter in his second stint with Cincinnati.

        DRAFTEES SIGN: The Reds signed 18 of their selections from last week's amateur draft, including Colerain High School right-hander Jeff Schachleiter, an 18th-round pick.

        DANTE'S DAY: Right fielder Dante Bichette was a late addition to the starting lineup after convincing the Reds' staff with an adequate pregame workout that he could play on his sprained right ankle.

        Maybe Bichette should have rested another day.

        “By the third inning, it was throbbing pretty good,” he said.

        He struggled to catch up with Jeff Kent's fifth-inning hit, which was scored a triple. Bichette also bobbled Rich Aurilia's sixth-inning single for an error.

        ETC.: Barry Larkin tied Tony Perez for fourth place on the Reds' all-time hit list with 1,934 by hitting an eighth-inning ho mer off Giants reliever John Johnstone. Larkin also has scored 1,090 runs, one short of Johnny Bench's second-place career total.

Bowden: McKeon blameless Giants 6, Reds 2 Box, runs Boone 'scared' by hit to nose

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