As Barry Larkin prepared to lead off in the bottom of the first inning Thursday, the field temperature registered 115 degrees with 26 percent humidity. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        The comments Reds general manager Jim Bowden made Thursday that didn't get him into trouble had to do with the Reds' efforts to improve the team before the July 31 trade deadline.

        Bowden believes the Reds can stay in the race with the National League Central Division-leading Cardinals and contend for the wild-card spot, thanks to the additions of starting pitchers Ryan Dempster (who had a good start Tuesday after three bad ones) and Brian Moehler (1-1 with the Reds).

        “And if we get an injury to the pitching staff, we're prepared for that with Chris Reitsma, Joey Hamilton and Luke Hudson,” Bowden said. “You always want to do more and improve your team more ... but we're pleased with the team that we have. We've got some (hitters) who've under-achieved offensively who we think will make up for that in the last two months.”

        He said the Reds “match up with San Francisco, Los Angeles” for the wild card, and “can over-take the Cardinals. Looking at the schedule, August is going to be a difficult month for us, but if you look at September, while L.A. and San Francisco and Arizona are playing each other, we have only three games against a plus-.500 team.”

        Some deals weren't made because the Reds wouldn't give up the 10 untouchable prospects in their minor-league system; some were nixed because the players the Reds wanted had no-trade clauses in their contracts and, the most publicized ones (Bartolo Colon, Chuck Finley and Scott Rolen) failed because of financial constraints.

        “The biggest issue, though, was that in some of the deals where we could have acquired guys who would be free agents after this year, the player talent the teams wanted in return, only to have the player we acquired walk ... was something we weren't going to do,” Bowden said. “We weren't going to set this organization back five years for two months of baseball.”

        A lot of pundits were surprised Kansas City pitcher Paul Byrd, a 14-game winner, wasn't acquired by somebody before Wednesday.

        “We absolutely (made a) play on him, and did until the last hour,” Bowden said. “The price was just too high for two months.”

        Bowden said that because of their talent-rich farm system, the Reds were in the hunt for every prospective deal out there.

        “Since I've been with the Reds in 1989, we've never had a farm system this loaded,” Bowden said. “If we were the New York Yankees and had unlimited dollars, we could have traded for Colon, (Jeff) Weaver, Rolen, (Cliff) Floyd, (Kenny) Rogers and Finley and gotten them all -- and still held onto our top five prospects. That's an amazing statement.”

        CLARK KNOWS FEELING: Reds utility man Brady Clark knows the disappointment of being sent down to Triple-A Louisville when he really didn't deserve it, of being caught in the numbers quandary, of knowing he was the guy with the options left.

        He related some of his thoughts Thursday to Chris Reitsma, a pitcher who found himself in the same boat this week. For the most part, Reitsma had a handle on it.

        Said Clark to Reitsma: “Go down there and have fun. The decisions are out of your hands. Do what you know you can do and, hopefully, you'll be back up here soon.”

        Reitsma “understands why it was him,” Clark said. “He was pretty positive about it, and that's good, because it can really snowball if you let it get to you.”

        Clark related his own experience of being sent down.

        “I hate to say it was good for me to go down, but in a sense it was,” Clark said. “Not only did I get to play every day and get at-bats, but I think it makes you a better player to go through the trials of the game. In Chris' case, he's already overcome obstacles (of breaking his arm while pitching). It's just one of those things. He'll overcome this.”

        Clark has the benefit of a lifetime's experience -- his father's. Steve Clark was a right-handed pitcher and place-kicker at Oregon State in the mid-1960s and played in the Boston Red Sox system. Despite his considerable talent, Steve allowed a falling-out with a minor-league manager to color his attitude about the game and to what lengths he should go to stay in it. Steve was supposed to go to Double-A but instead got tagged for Single-A. Rather than deal with it, he left the game.

        “What my dad says to me is: "Stay positive. Do the best you can and things will work out.' He doesn't want me to ever to go out the way he did,” Clark said.

        Even with a positive attitude, the reality can't help but seep in that things are better two hours north, Clark said.

        “It's not the same uniform you're putting on,” he said. “I had a good time when I was (in Louisville). It's a great bunch of guys. But it's a lot different when you put on the Cincinnati Reds uniform. You know right away, "Hey, I'm in the big leagues.”'

        DEMPSTER GOES SUNDAY: Dempster, who pitched well in a 12-4 victory over the Dodgers Tuesday night, will make his next start Sunday in San Diego.

        Dempster, who was born in Sechelt, British Columbia, is the only native Canadian pitcher starting in the big leagues.

        DESSENS LEAVES: Elmer Dessens left Thursday's game after four innings with tightness in his groin muscle.

        “I tried to throw a pitch too hard to (Shawn Green),” Dessens said. “I felt it then.”

        Dessens allowed only one run on four hits. He walked none and struck out two.

        “It's pretty tight now,” he said when asked if he'd be able to make his start Wednesday in Colorado. “I'll see how it is in two days.”

        JULY NUMBERS: The Reds hit .286 as a team for the month of July, second-best in the National League.

        Ken Griffey Jr. (.375), Austin Kearns (.333), Todd Walker (.330) and Aaron Boone (.324) all had good months as far as average. Boone and Jason LaRue tied for the team lead in RBI with 15 each. Adam Dunn led the club with seven home runs.

Reds 6, Dodgers 4 Reds box, runs Reds GM sorry for remarks DAUGHERTY: The day Bowden lost all perspective Despite lack of big-name deal, Bowden confident Clearing waivers complicates post-deadline trades Labor dispute down to dollars, sense Cardinals turn majors' fourth triple play this season Clemens throws seven innings in rehabilitation start NL Roundup AL roundup

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