SARASOTA, Fla. — Opening Day starter Pete Harnisch complained of kinks in his pitching delivery but wasn't concerned.

        “I've got some work to do here. My mechanics went a little south on me. But we'll figure it out,” said Harnisch, who allowed two runs and three hits in four innings Wednesday against the New York Yankees. “Mechanics to me are everything. When I'm comfortable with them, it breeds confidence.”

        Harnisch called his lack of smoothness, which he experiences mostly while pitching from the stretch position with runners on base, “typical.” Said Harnisch, “Just because the calendar reads Opening Day ... It takes a little while sometimes.”

        Boone found no such flaws.

        “I kiddingly told him, I'll take you feeling that uncomfortable on Monday,” Boone said. “I'm very pleased with the spring Pete's had (2-3, 3.06 ERA, .225 opponents' batting average).”

        Harnisch said he has no physical problems: “I feel good. My strength's there. My fastball was really good (Wednesday).”

        Harnisch said he wanted to pitch at least another inning, but the two rain delays totaling 30 minutes forced him from the game. He compensated by throwing about 20 pitches in the bullpen after his removal.

        SULLIVAN UPDATE: Reliever Scott Sullivan (lower back tightness) threw Wednesday and Thursday in the bullpen and is expected to be ready Opening Day.

        “They've done a good job of putting me back together,” said Sullivan, who hasn't pitched since Saturday.

        BIG NEWS: Justin Atchley was caught off guard, but he didn't mind.

        The rookie left-hander said he was standing in front of his locker Thursday morning, about to don his baseball gear, when he learned he had made the Opening Day roster.

        “Bob snuck up behind me, said that they were going to go with 12 pitchers and I was going to go north with them,” Atchley said. “I really didn't have much to say after that.”

        DOWN, NOT OUT: Utilityman Chris Sexton was back at work Thursday in the Reds' minor-league camp after being among the last players cut from the major-league roster.

        “I go from here,” said Sexton, a St.Xavier High School graduate and Miami University product who'll begin the season with Triple-A Louisville for the second year in a row. “You get so close. You're hoping that a decision would go your way. They just decided to carry 12 pitchers, and it was easy to figure out the numbers game was going to get me.”

        Sexton hit just .194 but impressed Boone with his versatility. But the Reds kept Juan Castro and Donnie Sadler instead.

        STILL AROUND: Another loser in the numbers game, utilityman Wilton Guerrero, had to accept being outrighted to Louisville.

        Players who previously have been outrighted to the minors or who have at least five years' service time in the majors can refuse their assignments and become free agents. But Guerrero never had been outrighted and has accumulated just four years and two days of service time.

        Boone said he stressed to Guerrero that his time in the minors, where he hasn't played since 1998, could be short.

        “I think Wilton Guerrero's going to play for us this year, maybe sooner than later,” Boone said of the switch-hitter, who batted .289 (13-for-45) this spring with no homers and three RBI. “My crystal ball's foggy on that part. He has improved since Day One of spring training. He's looking like a big-leaguer.”

        BY THE WAY: The Reds endured their fourth rainout of the spring Thursday, when showers ended their game against Philadelphia after Doug Glanville had singled off Osvaldo Fernandez to open the third inning. Philadelphia led 3-2, with Sean Casey's two-run, first-inning homer accounting for Cincinnati's scoring.

        UP NEXT:rThe Reds visit Clearwater, Fla., for their second of three consecutive scheduled games against the Phillies. Chris Reitsma will oppose left-hander Bruce Chen.

Reds will avoid Maddux, Benson Boone worried about his bench Griffey decision may wait till Monday Harnisch tinkers with mechanics Sabo could manage Florence team

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