Sean Casey is charged up as he comes into the dugout after a Barry Larkin RBI single in the first inning. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        Reds first baseman Sean Casey said before Friday's game that he felt like it was Opening Day again. He had just come off a 15-day stretch on the disabled list.

        Now, all he had to do was play like it was Opening Day — because Casey is a good Opening Day player.

        And play like it, he did.

        On Casey's first at-bat Friday, in the top of the first inning with two on base and the Reds leading 2-1, Casey slammed a 1-0 pitch from the Padres' Brett Tomko into center field for two RBI. When Casey reached second base for his double, he turned to the Reds dugout and gave his right fist the emphatic Tiger Woods uppercut.

        This was one happy man.

        The Reds were up 4-1.

        And soon they would be up 9-1. All in the first inning.

        “Colorado wasn't a good series for us (the Rockies swept the Reds three straight), but those things happen,” Casey said. “All you can do is get back on the horse... I've just go to do my job. Hit the ball and drive in some runs in key situations. That's all I'm going to try to do.”

        Casey's two-game rehab stint in Columbus, playing for the Louisville Bats, was just what the doctors ordered — the hit doctor, the “head” doctor and the medical doctor. In his second game in Triple-A, Casey went 3-for-3 with a home run. He felt good about his shoulder — and about his attitude.

        “That was probably the most fun I had all year,” Casey said. “The guys were great. The atmosphere was remarkable, too. It all brings you back to the essence of why you play baseball. That can get lost sometimes in the big leagues. In the big leagues, there is just so much of everything. You can tend to take it for granted. You go down to the minors, and there might be 2,000 fans. There's no seats in the outfield, but there are trees. The ballpark you're playing in is set in some neighborhood.

        “It brings you back, reminds you of when you were coming up and your dream was to play in the big leagues in front of the bright lights. And then, when you're back down there, you realize, "Hey, you know what? It was pretty awesome down here, too!' I thoroughly enjoyed my time (in Columbus).”

        Just before he went on the DL, Casey received a cortisone shot in his shoulder.

        Turns out the time in Triple-A was also a shot in the arm.

        “It's tough watching, especially when you're in a pennant race,” Casey said. “I think that getting the time off, and calming my shoulder down a little bit, is only going to help us.”

        BOOOOO-NE: Whenever Aaron Boone gets a chance to play shortstop, he enjoys it.“I like it — it's something different,” Boone said. “There's more to do, more (athleticism) required. Not only do you have to have range, but you have to turn double plays, all that stuff. There's a reason why shortstops (and second basemen) traditionally aren't expected to hit as much (as other position players).”

        JOSE CAN SEE: Whenever the Reds decide to bring right-handed pitcher Jose Silva back to their staff, he'll be ready to go. That's because he's ready to go now.

        He has been rehabbing in Louisville. He said his arm feels good. He does not have the shoulder tendinitis that put him on the disabled list. He threw in the bullpen before Friday's game.

Reds 12, Padres 10 Reds box, runs Rehab stint in minors works wonders for Casey Braves 6, Astros 5, 13 innings Mets 2, Cardinals 1 Louisville 8, Columbus 2 Barry Bonds hits 600th homer Chicago releases veteran DeShields Strike deadline likely when players meet Monday

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