Adam Dunn has been instrumental in the Reds' success thus far. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        The Reds have confounded baseball experts by staying in the National League Central race through the first half of the season. But all a good first half gives you is peace of mind over the All-Star break.

        Postseason berths go to teams that can win over the long haul. The Reds still have 76 games to play. So the question is: Can they stay in the race the rest of the way?

        “We can,” Reds manager Bob Boone said, “if we keep doing the same things we've been doing.”

        What the Reds have done is prove they are a tough bunch to beat. They've come from behind to win 21 games. They are 16-10 in one-run games. And they've won 11 times on their last at-bat.

        “The good part about our club that we've confirmed is we play every game to our last out and really battle you,” Boone said. “That's a trait that exists with each individual. It's been our biggest asset this first half.”

        The Reds will need it later, as well. Teams with payrolls of $45 million, like the Reds have, don't win often in the era of the $135 million payroll, like the New York Yankees have.

        As the Bartolo Colon non-trade so clearly indicated, the Reds don't figure to add payroll. That means they aren't very likely to add any impact players for the stretch run.

        But general manager Jim Bowden promises to keep trying.

        “If we can make a deal to get a top-line pitcher without adding payroll, we'll do it,” Bowden said. “Right now, we're trying to get the job done within our parameters.”

        The Reds may be able to structure a deal in such a way that the team with which they're trading softens the financial blow.

        “You may trade a $2 million player for a $4 million pitcher, and they pay $2 million,” Bowden said. “That doesn't increase our overall payroll.”

        But in the uncertain labor climate, there have not been a lot of trades. So the more pertinent question may be: Can the Reds win with their current roster?

        “It's a pretty simple formula,” Boone said. “We have the same issues for the second half that we had at the beginning of the year. The big question is going to be our pitching.”

        The pitching has been surprisingly good, particularly the starting pitching. That's remarkable considering the Reds pay their entire rotation $3.5 million. That's roughly what a run-of-the-mill fourth starter makes these days.

        Two starters, Elmer Dessens and Jimmy Haynes, have been solid from the start. But Joey Hamilton and Chris Reitsma have struggled mightily recently. Reitsma has lost seven straight starts and had his ERA rise from the mid-2.00s to 3.45. Hamilton hasn't won since May 29. He's 0-3 in his last six starts.

        The fifth-starter spot has been a revolving door since Jose Rijo was removed for ineffectiveness.

        “You're always considering changes,” Boone said. “That's why when you ask me who's starting in two weeks, I don't know. A lot depends on their performance. There are alternatives, but they're not great.”

        The current fifth starter, Jared Fernandez, was 16th or 17th on the depth chart coming out of the spring. So there's no help in the minors.

        The bullpen was supposed to be the strength of the staff going into the season. It has been decent. But the No. 1 setup man, Scott Sullivan, struggled for six weeks before recently finding his form again. He has to be good for the Reds to contend.

        Closer Danny Graves has been near the league leaders in saves all year. But his six blown saves are the most in the NL.

        “The cliche is: It always comes down to pitching,” Aaron Boone said. “We feel like if we get quality starting pitching we should be there. We should be right in it down to the wire. I think, as a group, we'll put up our share of runs.”

        They haven't so far. That's the good news. The Reds have hung with the St. Louis Cardinals even though few of the Reds hitters have lived up to the numbers on the back of their bubble gum cards.

        “We're in the race,” Bowden said. “But the reality is we haven't hit and scored runs like we're capable of.”

        Boone and Barry Larkin have hovered in the lower .200s all year. Sean Casey, who drove in 89 runs last year, is on pace to drive in 63 this year. The law of averages says they'll be better in the second half.

        “I'm banking on the law of averages at the moment,” Larkin said. “Bring it on.”

        The most glaring statistics: Ken Griffey Jr., battling a spate of injuries, has two home runs and four RBI.

        “Hopefully we're going to get our offense going,” Bob Boone said. “We really haven't had what I consider our offense. Junior's going to be back. The Junior we need.”

        Griffey has started only 20 games because of knee and hamstring injuries.

        The Reds have showed signs of life offensively lately. They averaged 6.7 runs a game over the last 11 games, going into Saturday.

        “We've started to swing the bats lately,” Aaron Boone said. “But overall we've been a little disappointing the first half. Certainly, me personally.”

        The other thing the Reds need to do is play better against the good teams. They are 18-27 (.400) against teams with records better than .500, and 5-7 against the Cardinals.

        “We're going to have to beat the teams that are in front of us and over .500,” Larkin said, “and continue to beat the teams that are not over .500. But the only way to win is to beat the teams that are winning.”

Reds 6, Brewers 4 Reds box, runs Reds Q&A The pride of Newberry DAUGHERTY: A strike for 'rights' is wrong Choosing stars no highlight for Brenly Cloudy forecast for Bud Bowl A fast but tenuous start Midseason report Cinergy Moment No. 20 - July 1, 1973 Down on the farm Graves 'Lucky' Griffey's return may come in 2 weeks Reds chatter Relief tempers envy of Yankees' Weaver trade Memories of an American original No funeral services for Kid Bats 3, Clippers 1 John Fay's power rankings AL roundup NL roundup Notes from Saturday's games

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GROESCHEN: Prep Insider

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