MONTREAL — While Robin Jennings was supposed to making his debut with the Reds, he was stuck in a travel nightmare of missed connections and rerouting.

        “I spent a lot of time in airports,” Jennings said. “It was just a mess. But today made it worth it.”

        That's an understatement. The first day of Jennings' career as a Red was a career day. He went 4-for-6 with two doubles and a triple in the Reds' 17-4 victory over the Montreal Expos Sunday before a crowd of 11,785 at Olympic Stadium.

        “That was a pretty good swing we saw today,” Reds manager Bob Boone said.

        The Reds had 20 hits, including eight doubles. There were a lot of stars:

        • Ken Griffey was 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBI in three innings of work;

        • Adam Dunn was 4-for-5 with a homer, two doubles and three RBI;

        • Sean Casey was 2-for-3 with two doubles;

        • Juan Castro was 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI;

        • D.T. Cromer homered.

        The 17 runs were the most by the Reds since they beat Colorado 24-12 on May 19, 1999.

        The pitching wasn't bad either. Rookie right-hander Jose Acevedo (4-5) went seven innings, allowing five hits and three runs.

        The victory was the fifth in seven games for the Reds.

        This was a first day on the job Jennings won't forget. He lashed a triple down the right-field line in his first at-bat, a double down the line in his second at-bat and double to center in his third at-bat. So he had three hits and three RBI before he made an out.

        Jennings, a 29-year-old left-handed hitter, started in right field. He was called up from Triple-A Louisville so the Reds could get a look at him while Dmitri Young and Aaron Boone are out.

        “Once Aaron is back,” Bob Boone said, “we'll play Dmitri in left and go with the lineup we had.”

        Jennings knew he'd likely get called up in September, but he didn't view this as an audition.

        “Honestly, my approach is to play hard every time I go out there,” he said. “That's the only way to keep sane. If you start thinking about the rest of it, it affects your personal well-being and the way you play.”

        Sunday was only Jennings' 45th big-league game. He hit .210 in brief stints with the Chicago Cubs in 1996, '97 and '99. The Reds got him, along with Todd Walker, from Colorado in the Alex Ochoa trade.

        That was the latest twist in an odd year for Jennings. He ended last season with Louisville, but when he wasn't called up on Sept. 1, he left the team.

        “I had an out in my contract,” he said. “It was just business.”

        He began this season in the Oakland organization. He was traded July 3 to Colorado for outfielder Ron Gant and cash. The Reds acquired him from Colorado 15 days later.

        “My wife (Kristen) didn't like moving four times,” he said. “It's a crazy game. Someone trades for you for a reason.”

        The Reds' offense overshadowed Acevedo's good day, which was the third straight quality start the Reds got from one of their rookies. Acevedo, Lance Davis and Chris Reitsma each won, combined to work 22 2/3 innings and had a collective ERA of 2.38.

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