Reith stats

        Wednesday should be a good night for Reds fans, because what (besides winning) is more fun in a small-revenue town than seeing in the flesh the product of a deal with the big-market team? Reds fans, meet pitcher Brian Reith.

        Meet him, that is, before the Arizona Diamondbacks do.

        Reith, 23, is “the young arm” in the trade the Reds made last year with the Yankees that sent Denny Neagle there, and brought here third baseman Drew Henson (now back with the Yankees), pitcher Ed Yarnall (sold to a Japanese team) and outfielder Jackson Melian (.220 in Double-A Chattanooga).

        Reith will get the start Wednesday night at Cinergy Field.

        It will be his major-league debut.

        The right-hander is a large lad — 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds — and so are his Double-A numbers: in 8 starts, he is 4-1 (1 shutout) with a 2.15 ERA. In 50 1/3 innings, he's struck out 50 and walked only 17.

        In his last four starts, Reith has had it almost all his way: 3-1, 0.62 ERA, and only 13 hits surrendered in 29 innings (24 K's).

        Nobody knows exactly what to expect of him (one rarely does when it comes to a kid making his big-league debut), but how can any Reds fan not be interested in this outing after seeing what arrived in the Dante Bichette deal (starting pitcher Chris Reitsma, the rookie out of Chattanooga who's pitched well beyond his years for most of this season)?

        “This kid (Reith) is kind of wetting our palate,” said Reds manager Bob Boone. “He's been throwing real well. It gives us a free look ... If he does well, maybe he

        stays here for awhile and we develop (another guy). It gives us a quick look into the future. It seems to make sense — but then a lot of things seem to make sense at the time you do 'em.”

        Reith had not arrived in Cincinnati as of game-time Monday.

        Except for the end of last year, when he made the jump to Chattanooga (1-3, 3.90 ERA), Reith has rarely struggled for any prolonged stretch in his six seasons in the minors. Even last year in Double-A, he showed a live arm (29 strikeouts against only 11 walks in 30 innings).

        The Reds certainly like the timing of the call-up: in his last outing (Friday), Reith threw a four-hit shutout (five Ks, and only two walks).

        “I'm not afraid that we'll hurt 'em,” Boone said. “He'll get a little look at what he has to do while he's here. A lot of times guys come up and say, "Whew, it is a little tougher in the big leagues.' Sometimes a little glimpse will help 'em. He's a pretty tough kid. I don't think he'll scare. He's confident in his stuff — and that's a big factor in whether you do something like this.”

        Reith was born in Fort Wayne, Ind., and still resides there. He was selected by the Yankees in the sixth round of the 1996 draft. He was all-conference and all-state in baseball at Concordia Lutheran High School.

        There had been some talk of pitching Rob Bell on three days rest Wednesday, but the Reds felt there was more potential upside in giving Reith a look. If Bell were a veteran, the Reds may have pitched him.