Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell slides safely into third ahead of the throw to Aaron Boone. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        HOUSTON — The Reds got a taste of their past Thursday night, and it proved bitter. Borbon bitter.

        The Astros' Pedro Borbon, the left-handed son of the former Big Red Machine right-hander, struck out Adam Dunn looking with two men on and none out in the top of the eighth inning with the Reds trailing by two runs. It was the key out of the game, and the only one Borbon got.

        It was the only one he needed.

        The Astros beat the Reds 4-3 before 32,037 fans at the Juice Box, aka Minute Maid Park, formerly Enron Field.

        Billy Wagner got the save by allowing only a walk in the ninth inning, but the really big out was Borbon's in the eighth.

        “I still don't know what he threw me,” Dunn said. “A slider, I guess. He comes at you with that elbow and it's hard to pick up the ball. I never really saw it.”

        Actually, it was a fastball.

        Borbon, who said he learned two things about pitching from his father (“how to grip the slider, and not to have a fear of failure”), saw Dunn foul off a fastball away to the left side on the previous pitch.

Astros third baseman Geoff Blum (27) is congratulated at the plate by Brad Ausmus (11) and Orlando Merced after his three-run homer in the second inning. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        He figured Dunn was looking away and might be anticipating another pitch in the same place.

        “So I figured I'd throw him in,” Borbon said. “That's like the last out of a World Series game to me. Getting out left-handers is how I make my living.”

        What does he concentrate on when he has two strikes on a hitter?

        “I concentrate on keeping my elbow a little bit higher there, it usually cuts down the movement ... and that's probably the elbow he's talking about seeing that made it hard for him to pick up the ball,” Borbon said.

        Borbon said his favorite moments following his father's pitching exploits came during the 1975 World Series.

        “I was listening to the radio in the Dominican and I was eight years old,” he said. “I was living with my dad out on the mound, from thousands of miles away. There wasn't DirecTV. But I knew what he looked like out there. I had my imagination for the rest.”

        The Reds were beaten in a tough game to end a day that had begun so headily, with the acquisition of pitcher Ryan Dempster from the Florida Marlins in a trade that involved Reds outfielder Juan Encarnacion.

Boone's first inning home run gave the Reds a brief lead. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        But this was the kind of game the Reds needed a big home run — the kind Encarnacion has provided.

        The Astros got the home run they needed, a three-run blast to right-center by Geoff Blum in the second inning, in which the Astros scored all four runs off Elmer Dessens.

        “It was down and in, right where Blum likes it,” said Reds manager Bob Boone. “That was the key pitch of the inning.”

        Tonight, the Reds find out whether their half of the trade works out. Dempster makes his Reds debut.

        Astros ace Roy Oswalt (10-5) showed why he is so tough, giving up some singles here and there but never going on the ropes. When a pitcher has command of the strike zone the way Oswalt does, he can practically toy with the hitters.

        “And when he does make a mistake, it surprises you, because he so rarely does,” Dunn said.

        The Reds say Dempster is the key to their second half, but he can only pitch every fifth day. The Reds have to hit their way to some victories, but Thursday they couldn't do it.

Astros 4, Reds 3 Reds box, runs Trade brings Reds big-name starter Reds arm themselves for pennant race Dempster says he's happy with trade Marlins deny beginning another firesale So long, Seth; we hardly knew ya Floyd trade dissolves '97 Marlins Reds not on endangered list Resurgent Rijo says he's ready Bats 7, Red Sox 1 Lawmakers encourage MLB to test for drugs Manuel out in Cleveland Second half resumes with fans angry NL roundup AL roundup Notes from Thursday's games

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