It appears right-hander Jose Rijo will lose his spot in the Reds' starting rotation in favor of a fellow Dominican Republic native.

        Reds general manager Jim Bowden said in a Sunday night interview with Channel 12 that the club is leaning toward starting Carlos Almanzar this weekend in Anaheim. Almanzar, a 28-year-old right-hander, has not allowed an earned run in seven relief appearances. Opponents are batting just .118 (4-for-34) against him.

        Almanzar was acquired March 29 from the Colorado Rockies for future considerations. He was 1-2 with a 2.45 ERA and was leading Triple-A Louisville with 11 saves when he was called up May 20.

        He tossed a season-high three innings Saturday against Atlanta, indicating the Reds were trying to stretch him out.

        Rijo's turn in the rotation was to have come Friday, so Almanzar will likely pitch then. Rijo would seemingly trade places and resume his previous role as a long reliever.

        This would be Almanzar's first major-league start. He first came up with Toronto in 1997 and '98, played for San Diego in '99 and 2000, and appeared in 10 games last season with the New York Yankees. He has a 4.87 ERA in 136 career appearances in the big leagues.

        Rijo (4-3, 5.21 ERA) has a 7.45 ERA over his last six starts and has been battling shoulder stiffness.

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