There's no joy in Mudville. The Reds want to trade Barry Larkin, and Ken Griffey Jr. struck out with the tying run on base in the ninth inning to end the Reds' 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks Friday night.

        After Larkin drew a two-out walk in the ninth, Matt Mantei threw three 99 mph fastballs past Griffey to end it.

        “I think I thrive on those situations, believe it or not,” said Mantei, who got his sixth save in eight chances. “I wish I had a dollar for every time I've walked a guy to bring up the big hitter.

        “He's a great hitter. He's going to be in the Hall of Fame. Striking out a big hitter like that is fun.”

        The 46,101 fans on hand for the game and a Beach Boys concert afterward were on their feet, snapping photos, when Griffey came to bat. A hush came over them when Griffey swung through a high fastball for strike three.

        “They wanted to see a home run,” manager Jack McKeon said. “That's what we wanted. It didn't work out that way.”

        After wasting leadoff triples in the sixth and seventh — both set up by Dante Bichette's misplays in right field — the Diamondbacks finally got a clutch hit and broke a 4-all tie in the eighth.

        A walk and Jay Bell's two-out single off Scott Sullivan (1-4) left runners on first and third. Luis Gonzalez hit a ground-rule double off Dennys Reyes for the go-ahead run, leaving him 3-for-3 career off the left-hander.

        “When you've done well against a pitcher, you have some confidence against him,” Gonzalez said. “You try to go over some old at-bats in your mind, you try to get ahead in the count and you try to get something in the air.”

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