Harnisch to start at Triple-A today

Pitcher Pete Harnisch, on the disabled list for seven weeks with weakness in his right rotator cuff, is scheduled to throw 90 to 100 pitches in a rehab start at Triple-A Louisville this afternoon. It'll be Harnisch's first game action since May 4, the day before he went on the DL.

If Harnisch's shoulder feels good, he probably will be reinstated to the Reds' major-league roster this week and start Friday's game at Arizona.

“I can't say (if the problem is corrected) until I see the results,” Harnisch said. “I'm not hanging my hat on (today). It needs to be a stretch of games. It's been a step- by-step process, and this is the next step. In my opinion, you can't really know until you've pitched in game conditions. A simulated game isn't the same thing.”

Harnisch was 0-4 with a 9.95 ERA before hitting the DL, but he'll be a welcome addition to the rotation; en tering Saturday's game, Reds starters had won only 12 of their 44 starts since Harnisch went down.

The Reds expect a better Harnisch now that he has had time to strengthen his shoulder — more like the Harnisch who led the club with 14 wins in 1998 and 16 last season.

“It doesn't just look stronger; it is stronger,” pitching coach Don Gullett said.

Harnisch said he won't be able to tell until he throws today. “It's not like I'm out there in the bullpen throwing 100 miles an hour all of a sudden,” he said. “But you would think with all the work we've been doing, it's got to be.”

Gullett said the team hasn't discussed which pitcher to move out of the rotation when Harnisch returns, but it probably will be either rookie right-hander Rob Bell (4-6, 5.28) or righty Steve Parris (3-10, 5.58).

One could be moved to the bullpen, or the Reds could send Bell to the minors.

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