Rookie Brian Reith had to take a pounding for the bullpen. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

        HOUSTON — Saturday night's final score — Houston 9, Cincinnati 3 — indicated the Reds stunk. But in one way, they emerged from this one smelling like the proverbial yellow rose of Texas.

        Because the Reds used just two pitchers, starter Brian Reith and Hector Mercado, their relievers will live to endure another eventful day at Enron Field.

        “Well, we saved the bullpen,” Reds manager Bob Boone said in his opening postgame remarks.

        Boone had feared for his tired relief corps. He knew Mark Wohlers, Scott Sulli van and Justin Atchley had worked in each of the previous two games and Jim Brower and Danny Graves were still weary after throwing 3 1/3 and 2 1/3 innings, respectively, Thursday.

        In Boone's worst nightmare, he'd have to drain his relievers again behind Reith, a rookie who failed to escape the second inning two starts ago. Then Boone would be stuck with an absolutely bedraggled bullpen for today's series finale — an ominous prospect with unreliable rookie Jose Acevedo starting for Cincinnati.

Jason LaRue and Sean Casey charge a sacrifice bunt by Astros' pitcher Shane Reynolds. | ZOOM |

        Fortunately for the Reds, Reith (0-5) lasted six innings and left the final two for Mercado. Reith was forced to weather Houston's eight-run, nine-hit barrage against him that featured Lance Berkman's two-run double in the third inning and Jeff Bagwell's three-run homer in the fourth. It marked the 17th game in a row in which Reds pitchers have allowed at least one home run, a dubious franchise record.

        And don't blame Reith for the end of Cincinnati's three-game winning streak, though his ERA ballooned to 6.89. He's 23 and he should be pitching in the minor leagues.

        Reith revealed his youth and inexperience in that fourth inning, when he issued his only four walks of the game.

        “You have to make more (effective) pitches at the big-league level. That's the difference between the major leagues and the minors,” said Boone, who's stuck with four rookies in his starting rotation. “It's consistency.”

        Said Reith of his sudden control lapse: “I don't know what happened there.” Searching for optimism, the right-hander referred to his scoreless fifth and sixth innings and said, “If I could take a positive out of this, it would be that.”

        Reith was outclassed by Houston right-hander Shane Reynolds (8-5), who allowed seven hits while pitching his second complete game of the season and striking out a season-high eight. It also was the second complete game thrown against the Reds this year; the other was Jon Lieber's one-hitter at Chicago on May 24.

        “The last two games were almost like a root canal,” said Houston second baseman Craig Biggio, referring to Cincinnati's two extra-inning victories to open the series. “We needed that (Reynolds' effort). It was a big uplift.”

        The Astros marred Reith's sixth major-league start by scoring in each of the first four innings.

        Biggio, who homered to open Houston's scoring in each of the previous two games, drilled a leadoff double Saturday. He went to third on Julio Lugo's single and scored as Bagwell grounded into a double play.

        Houston added a run in the second inning on doubles by Moises Alou and Charlie Hayes. The Reds made it 2-1 in the third against Reynolds on Pokey Reese's triple and Reith's RBI groundout, but Houston widened its lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the inning on Berkman's double, which followed singles by Lugo and Bagwell.

        The Reds scored again in the fourth inning when Ken Griffey Jr. singled, moved to third on Sean Casey's single and came home on Dmitri Young's sacrifice fly. Griffey has hit safely in all nine games since leaving the disabled list, batting .371 (13-for-35) in that span.

        Houston pulled away with its four-run fourth. Reith doomed himself by walking Hayes, who began the game batting .195, and Brad Ausmus, a .206 hitter, to open the inning.

        Reynolds' sacrifice bunt advanced the runners before Reith walked Biggio to load the bases.

        Lugo's sacrifice fly delivered Hayes before Bagwell hoisted Reith's 2-1 pitch for his 18th homer of the season, an opposite-field poke that curled inside the right-field pole.

        Ruben Rivera accounted for the Reds' final run, in the seventh inning, with a two-out, pinch-hit homer off Reynolds. It was Rivera's second career homer when coming off the bench; his other came on Sept.16, 1996 against Toronto when he was a rookie with the New York Yankees.

        Alou offset Rivera in the bottom of the seventh with a one-out homer off Mercado.

Astros 9, Reds 3 Reds may play Mariners next year SULLIVAN: Griffey belongs in All-Star Game Reese, Young on the block There's hope for Reds, just not this year Lowlights of the 2001 season Fan's-eye view of the Reds Yankees were high on Wohlers No rest for Sullivan Reynolds' comeback appears complete Reds box, runs

DAUGHERTY: Gardner is guy you can like
World Team Wrestling Trials schedule
World Team Wrestling Trials results
Auto Racing Insider
Best and worst of week in sports
Bonds hits 39th HR
Kentucky sweeps LaRosa awards
High School Insider
Indiana All-Stars exact revenge on Kentucky
Buzz fills void in sports talk
Cable viewer's guide to Wimbledon
Green will defend Kroger title
Local Golf Notebook
Men's Met tee times

• Return to Reds front page...