The Reds' offense, so good in the three straight comeback wins last week, has looked pretty harmless over the last three games.

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Richard Hidalgo tags home with his fingertips ahead of the glove tag by Reds catcher Jason LaRue in the first inning. Umpire is Bill Hohn. (AP photo) 600 | 800 | 1024

        The Reds went quietly Wednesday night in a 7-2 loss to the Houston Astros at Cinergy Field.

        The Reds managed only four hits — all singles — against Houston left-hander Carlos Hernandez and four relievers.

        The Reds' Austin Kearns acquitted himself well in his major-league debut — 1-for-3 with an RBI.

        Kearns' coming-out party didn't do anything for the gate. The Reds drew a season-low crowd of 14,527 Wednesday. It was the smallest crowd since 13,943 showed up May 3, 1999 for a game against Arizona.

        Since Sean Casey has been out of the lineup after getting hit in the head by a pitch Saturday, the Reds have been pitiful offensively. They've scored a total of six runs in their last three games, all losses. The Reds already were missing Ken Griffey Jr. when Casey went out. Reds manager Bob Boone was asked if the Reds missed Casey and Griffey.

        “Would (the Astros) miss (Lance) Berkman and (Jeff) Bagwell?” he replied.

Austin Kearns runs to first after singling to right in the fourth inning. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Many of the Reds' healthy regulars are struggling: Barry Larkin is hitting .180 and has one hit in his last 13 at-bats; Aaron Boone is hitting .208 with one hit in his last nine at-bats; Adam Dunn's at .233; Todd Walker is at .255 and hitting .215 since going 3-for-4 on Opening Day. The Reds are 7-7 and face the possibility of getting swept by the Astros.

        Roy Oswalt, who went 14-3 with a 2.70 ERA as a rookie, starts for Houston today. Oswalt was 3-0 with a 0.42 ERA against the Reds last year.

        On Wednesday, Reds starter Jimmy Haynes didn't fare much better in the first inning than Jose Acevedo had Tuesday.

        Haynes started the game by hitting Craig Biggio with a pitch. An out later, Bagwell singled and Biggio went to third. Berkman got Biggio in with a fly ball to right. Haynes then walked Richard Hidalgo. Daryle Ward followed with a shot into the left-field corner to make it 3-0.

        The start was par for the course for Haynes against the Astros. He was 0-3 with a 10.29 ERA against them lifetime.

Jimmy Haynes fell behind 3-0 in the first inning. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        But, unlike the 8-3 loss to the Astros on Tuesday, the Reds got back in this one. Boone opened the fourth inning with the Reds' first hit of the game, a blooper into right field. Dunn smoked one over the glove of Julio Lugo for a base hit, and Boone went to third. Ruben Mateo then popped to second.

        That brought up Kearns, who had grounded out in the second. He took two balls, then looked at a strike. He then muscled an outside pitch from Hernandez into right field for his first major-league hit. Boone scored for Kearns' first big-league RBI.

        “I was more relaxed than I thought I'd be,” he said. “I was trying to get the run in.”

        Dunn went to third, and Walker followed with a double-play ball to Lugo. But Lugo muffed it. His only play was to first, so Dunn scored to make it 3-2.

        Haynes would retire nine in a row.

Ruben Mateo jumps in vain for Lance Berkman's home run in the fifth inning. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        But in the fifth, he gave up a two-out double to Bagwell. His first pitch to Berkman went off the top of the wall for Berkman's fourth home run in two games. That tied the Astros' club record for homers in back-to-back games and put Berkman even with Barry Bonds for the major-league lead with eight. (Bonds also homered Wednesday.)

        With first base open and Hidalgo, a right-handed hitter, on deck, the idea was not to give Berkman anything to hit.

        “It was a splittie,” Haynes said, referring to a split-finger fastball. “I tried to bounce it. But it stayed up on me. I didn't even want to pitch to him. I made a bad pitch. It stayed up. And he didn't miss it.”

        Haynes went five innings, allowing five runs on five hits. His record falls to 1-2; his ERA rises to 7.24.

Astros 7, Reds 2 SULLIVAN: Opportunity knocks for Kearns Austin Kearns photo gallery Casey still not close to return Reds Notebook: Rijo wants to start Berkman strikes again Reds box, runs Harnisch faces surgery again Baseball attendance down 3.5 percent Bonds hits 8th HR in loss Mariners go 10-0 on road trip Rangers 4, Angels 1

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