Officially, September won't arrive until the Reds return from their two-city, seven-game road trip beginning tonight.

        Mentally, the Reds already have flipped their calendars ahead.

        Their 8-3 victory Thursday over Philadelphia gave them a split of the four-game series and a smidgeon of momentum as they left Cinergy Field for three games against the Florida Marlins starting tonight. Then Cincinnati visits Atlanta, which owns the major leagues' best record, for four games.

        The Reds (62-64) realize the challenge they face. Florida swept them in a three-game Cinergy series Aug. 4-6. Cincinnati has made losing a habit in Atlanta, dropping its last eight series there. The Reds' 2-13 record at Turner Field since it opened in 1997 includes an 0-6 mark last year.

        Cincinnati trailed first-place St. Louis by 8 1/2 games in the National League Central entering Thursday. The Reds possess a sense of urgency.

        “I might as well say it's September now,” said left fielder Dmitri Young, who collected two hits and two RBI against the Phillies.

        “It's make or break right here,” said Steve Parris (8-14), who won his third consecutive start by yielding two runs in 6 2/3 innings. “If we lose some games, the Cardinals win some and we're 10 games out with 30 left, we're pretty much done. You hate to say that, but realistically, we have to win games. Period. And hope the Cardinals hit a bad streak.”

        If the Reds are to build a positive streak, they must continue to perform as they did in this series finale. Having endured weeks of offen sive futility, they ignored Ken Griffey Jr.'s absence from the batting order — manager Jack McKeon gave him a rare rest — and won with the subtleties of run-scoring.

        Cincinnati, which had grounded into 11 double plays in its previous five games, finally put the ball in play constructively. Chris Stynes' fourth-inning grounder advanced Young to second base, from where he scored on Juan Castro's double. Young drove in a run with a fifth-inning grounder. Sean Casey, who boosted his four-RBI total with a two-run, eighth-inning homer, hoisted a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

        “We have to play "small ball' as well as baseball,” Young said. “That's going to be important, especially against the fundamentally sound Braves.”

        Though Cincinnati's fifth victory in its last 16 home games was more of a group effort than an individual showcase, Casey's performance was noteworthy. Despite starting against left-handers sporadically this season, he notched his first two RBI of the afternoon against Phillies southpaw Omar Daal (3-15).

        Knowing he would receive multiple chances against Daal comforted Casey, who fanned on a breaking pitch in the first inning.

        “When you face a lefty who (relieves) in the eighth inning and gets you, you wish you could face him again, but the game's over,” said Casey, who's batting .192 against lefties and .322 off right-handers. “When you get a (starter) and you see what he has in your first at-bat and he gets you, you have a plan for what you're trying to do at the plate.”

        Though Casey admitted that he'd prefer to play more frequently against left-handers, he's not going to launch a crusade.

        “Sure, I want to be out there,” said Casey, who's hitting .339 in August. “I'm a competitor. I want to play against everybody. But Jack (McKeon, the Reds manager) is making the call. He's had some success with getting Alex (Ochoa) out there in left field and putting that right-handed lineup in. I'm fine with being a pinch-hitter in the eighth or ninth if we're going to win those games. Jack's the boss. Whatever your boss says, you're kind of like, "Yes, sir.'”
        Reds center fielder Brian Hunter leaps in the air to pick off a ball that took a high hop off the turf in the fourth inning at Cinergy Field on Thursday. Hunter then threw out the Phillies' Omar Daal at third.

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