Riedling

        Reds manager Bob Boone raves about John Riedling's smooth new delivery. Boone doesn't have to worry about Riedling going back to old ways.

        “I can't,” Riedling said. “It hurts if I do.”

        The 26-year-old rookie right-hander is pitching with a torn right labrum. Surgery was considered in May when it was discovered, but Riedling opted to endure rehabilitation instead.

        The Reds hoped he could resume pitching effectively. He has. He has pitched in five games and retired 14 of 16 batters since returning Aug. 12, after 76 days on the disabled list.

        But he can't pitch on back-to-back days, and he struggles to get loose even when he can pitch. So season-ending shoulder surgery remains an option.

        “I want to do everything possible before I go under the knife,” Riedling said. “But if I go a couple more outings, and two days later it's still aching, I'm going to get it taken care of.”

        Reds medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek said he'd go along with that.

        “In a case like this, the pitcher usually tells me when they need something done,” Kremchek said. “But he's doing pretty well.”

        Riedling's concerned when he occasionally tests the shoulder by cranking out a fastball with the effort he gave before the injury.

        “I did it in my last outing,” he said. “It wasn't too pleasant a feeling. I feel a pinching (in the back of my shoulder) when I go all the way back in my delivery.”

        Riedling's numbers don't look like those of a guy pitching in pain. He is 1-1 with a save. His ERA (2.48) and opponents' batting average (.184) are the best on the

        team. He has had one bad outing in 28 games. He gave up three runs in 1 1/3 innings April 28. Throw that game out, and his ERA is 1.72.

        A healthy Riedling is key to the Reds' plans in 2002.

        “He could be a lot of things,” Boone said. “He could be at the very end. He could start. He could be used in the middle. He had four pitches. He started in the minors and never had much success with it. But he's a completely different pitcher.

        “The key is: If he's healthy.”

        Whether he has the surgery or not, Kremchek said, there's no reason to think Riedling won't be healthy. Danny Graves had shoulder surgery when he was around Riedling's age and has been healthy since.

        “This would be very similar to Graves,” Kremchek said. “It's not a reconstruction. It's more cleaning it out.”

        The timing, however, is key. An arthroscopic shoulder surgery takes five to six months of recovery. Graves had his surgery Oct. 6, 1997. He wasn't 100 percent until May 1998.

        Kremchek said Riedling will be examined when the Reds return home Friday. A decision could be made then to go ahead with the surgery.

        Riedling is a Reds' drafted-and-developed player. It just took a while for him to develop.

        He was picked in the 22nd round of the 1994 draft. It took him five years to get above Single-A ball. The big transition came when he switched from starting to relieving in 1998. His minor-league numbers show the difference. Before 1998, he was 22-29 with a 4.94 ERA. After 1998, he was 16-8 with a 2.48 ERA.

        He thinks he could be an effective starter because of what he has learned as a reliever.

        “I think I've got the ability to start now,” he said. “I have an idea how to pitch. When I was starting, I had no clue what I was doing. As a reliever, you learn to make every pitch count.”

        Still, given Riedling's success as a reliever and his tender shoulder, he'll likely stay in the bullpen.

        Boone said Riedling's role depends on all the other questions surrounding next year's pitching staff. And there are many. Besides the current 11 pitchers, Pete Harnisch, Scott Williamson and Seth Etherton are on the disabled list. Joey Hamilton's trying to make a comeback. Players will come and go through trades and free agency.

        There is also the possibility that closer Graves will be moved into the rotation. That would make Riedling a candidate to close.

        “I don't even want to speculate on that,” Boone said.

        But this much is certain: If Riedling's healthy, his role will be an important one.

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