Thumbs up, Dennys Reyes. The left-hander is making progress in his conversion to starter with Triple-A Louisville. Reyes improved to 3-1 Wednesday although his ERA is 5.51 in five starts.

        More important, he pitched six innings, his longest start since returning July 2 following a stint on the disabled list.

        Reyes, still only 24, had a 2.57 ERA in 20 games as a reliever before suffering a forearm injury.

        Could he be the lefty at the top of a 2002 rotation that starts with Chris Reitsma and Scott Williamson?

        Thumbs down, The Reds offense, still. Despite averaging six runs a game since the addition of Adam Dunn and Todd Walker, the season-long numbers are dismal. Entering Friday, the Reds' rankings in the NL:

        • eighth in average, .261;

        • 13th in slugging percentage, .402;

        • 13th in on-base percentage, .322;

        • 13th in OPS (on-base plus slugging), .724;

        • 15th in home runs, 95;

        • 14th in runs scored, 448 (4.4 a game).

        Woes at home. The Reds have had a dreadful home season. But as bad as it is — 14-37 (.262) — they'll have to go a ways to have the worst home record ever.

        The 1939 St. Louis Browns went 18-59 (.234).

        Trade winds. With the waiver trading deadline Tuesday, here's a look at some recent July deals by the Reds.

        • July 12, 2000: Reds trade pitcher Denny Neagle and outfielder Mike Frank to the New York Yankees for infielder Drew Henson, outfielder Jackson Melian, pitcher Brian Reith and pitcher Ed Yarnall.

        • July 31, 1999: Reds trade pitchers B.J. Ryan and Jacobo Sequea to Baltimore for pitcher Juan Guzman and cash.

        • July 4, 1998: Reds trade reliever Jeff Shaw to Los Angeles for first baseman Paul Konerko and pitcher Dennys Reyes.

        • July 31, 1997: Reds trade pitcher John Smiley and infielder Jeff Branson to Cleveland for pitchers Danny Graves, Jim Crowell, Scott Winchester and infielder Damian Jackson.

        • July 39, 1996: Reds trade infielder Roberto Mejia and pitcher Brad Tweedlie to Boston for outfielder Kevin Mitchell.

        • July 31, 1995: Reds trade pitchers C.J. Nitkowski and David Tuttle to Detroit for pitcher David Wells.

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