When Jose Rijo was in the midst of arm surgeries and rehab sessions, he concentrated solely on returning to the Reds one day.

        The right-hander gave no thought to the circumstances.

        Rijo never thought about whether he'd pitch in a big game, such as the one he will start Saturday night against the Houston Astros in the middle of the pennant race.

        “I love to be in this situation - it's always why I pitched the first four months of the season, because I wanted to get to the last two months, when it really matters,” Rijo said.

        He said every day of a pennant race “is like a party.”

        “You play hard and celebrate every day,” Rijo said. “Play like it's your last game, because in a pennant race, every game matters so much.”

        Reds manager Bob Boone said he'll be “real happy” to get three innings out of Rijo.

        Boone views Saturday as “kind of a bullpen day.” He likes Rijo leading off because of what follows: Joey Hamilton and John Riedling, both of whom he had considered for the start.

        “I really like the role Joey's been in and how he's done in that role,” Boone said.

        As the season wore on, Rijo said, he envisioned himself getting his “old spot” back. He felt he had pitched better there than anybody else Boone had tried, but shoulder woes cost Rijo his niche.

        On Opening Day, Rijo had said the Reds didn't have enough starting pitching to contend. But the starters - including him early in the season - surprised everybody.

        “If I had told you at the beginning of the season, "I'm going to come back and pitch in a pennant race this year,' I'd have been lying to you,” Rijo said.

        But Elmer Dessens emerged as an ace (he's presently disabled with a strained right groin, although Boone is loosely targeting him to start next week in Arizona), Jimmy Haynes has been terrific, and others, including Rijo, have had their moments.

        “The pitching has been a big part of this team's success,” said Rijo, “but I feel we can do even better.”

        No matter what happens the rest of the season - whether he is successful as a starter and the team wins the division, or he and the team fall on their collective faces and finish 10 games out - Rijo plans on returning for next season.

        “I feel too good not to come back,” he said. “My last three appearances, I've felt the best I've felt all season. My forkball has been outstanding; my slider has been great. I haven't been making many mistakes. And now that I'm starting, I can throw my fastball more often. I didn't have the control of it before.”

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