While the rest of his bullpen mates were delivering one of the best long-relief outings in Reds history Sunday night — 8 2/3 shutout innings, keeping the team in the game and giving them a chance to win it (although they didn't, losing 4-3) — Danny Graves was champing at the bit to be in there.

        That might sound strange, given that he'd been struggling of late, but he'd just come off a pregame bullpen session with pitching coach Don Gullett that seemed to have targeted the cause of his woes.

        “I was flying open (with his lead, left shoulder) causing my hand to go more sidearm than on top,” Graves said. “And for me to throw a good sinker, I have to stay on top.”

        Even though he'd been flying open, he was still throwing strikes with the usual velocity. So he didn't know what — if anything — he was doing wrong until Gullett spotted it and showed him on videotape.

        “My ball was running side-to-side instead of sinking,” Graves said. “If you come open even the least little bit, it changes the whole path of your fastball. And your breaking ball is just kind of spinning up there instead of having bite. (Sunday night) when I warmed up (late in the game), I felt like I was right back where I needed to be.”

        Reds manager Bob Boone was ecstatic with the way the Reds bullpen worked Sunday night. He said Scott Sullivan is “getting better and better” and fans saw “closer stuff” out of Mark Wohlers. “(Wohlers) had great action on the ball,” Boone said. “Gully had him wind-milling (over the top, instead of coming from the side) and hitters aren't picking up the ball real well.”

        A huge reason why pitching is so important to the Reds is because they aren't driving in runs by the bushel-load.

        Their 29 HR (the latest of the bombs came from Ruben Rivera in the fourth inning Monday to break a 3-3 tie) are the fewest in the National League. Only Baltimore (with 26) has fewer in the majors. After 36 games last year, the Reds had 48 HR, including 12 by Ken Griffey Jr.

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