Brian Reith, the right-hander from Double-A Chattanooga who's plugging a hole in the starting rotation tonight against Arizona, hadn't arrived at Cinergy Field by gametime Tuesday.

        So the 23-year-old from Fort Wayne, Ind., won't have much time to acclimate himself to his surroundings before making his major-league debut. That's fine with Bob Boone, who doesn't want Reith to dwell too much on his task.

        “I'd like to call him about an hour before the game and say, "You're pitching,'” Boone said of Reith, who's 4-1 with a 2.15 ERA in eight start for Chattanooga.

        TOUGH DEMOTION: Left-hander Hector Mercado was optioned to Louisville to clear roster room for Reith, a decision Boone said was difficult.

        “It was more of a numbers thing,” said Boone, who noted that right-handers Scott Winchester and Jim Brower also were on the bubble. “I don't think any of them deserved to go down.”

        Boone said the need for a second left-handed reliever to complement Dennys Reyes was less pressing against Houston and Chicago, whom the Reds will face in nine of their next 12 games after the Diamondbacks series. And, said Boone: “I need some ground balls against those guys with the two fields we're going to (Houston's Enron Field and Chicago's Wrigley Field). That's as scientific as it gets.”

        ETC.: Harnisch, on the DL with right elbow tendinitis, said he might begin throwing on flat ground Friday or Saturday, followed by a workout off the mound sometime during the May 22-24 Chicago series.

        • George Ryden, who owns a sports card and memorabilia store in suburban Pittsburgh, paid $9,400 at an auction for the ball Sean Casey hit for the first home run at PNC Park. Of that sum, Michael Wilmer, who obtained the ball, received $8,000. Wilmer had sought $5,000 from Casey after claiming that somebody offered him $10,000.

        UP NEXT: Reith never faced anybody in the minors like his mound opponent tonight: Curt Schilling, who's 5-1 with a 3.34 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings.

D'Backs 5, Reds 1 Boone to miss 3 to 4 weeks SULLIVAN: Wanna see Griffey? Go to BP Players, Bowden dispute fairness of offers Everything will be new to Reith

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