Randy Johnson struck out 11 Reds in eight innings. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        Are you ready for some football? The Reds must resuscitate soon - for the umpteenth time this season - or fall out of contention before the first Bengals regular-season game. With their 7-2 home loss Thursday to Arizona, the Reds slipped a season-high 5 1/2 games behind St. Louis in the National League Central.

        “This stretch is a good test for our ballclub, but right now we're not doing well at the test,” Reds third baseman/outfielder Brandon Larson said. “It's all-or-none time now.”

        The Reds play 17 of their next 20 games against teams over .500, and currently they are 17-35 (.327) against winning teams. In this stretch will be seven games apiece against the Cardinals and second-place Houston, beginning tonight with a four-game series against the Astros.

        Funny how a few days can swing a pennant race.

        Late Sunday afternoon, after the Reds had finished a sweep of San Diego but before the Cardinals played New York, Cincinnati was in second place, 1 1/2 back.

Brandon Larson homered in his first at-bat off Johnson. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        But the Diamondbacks swept three games, the Cardinals are on a six-game winning streak, and suddenly the Reds are in third place and fading fast.

        Cincinnati trails Los Angeles by six games in the wild-card standings.

        “This (upcoming) stretch is going to define what our team is,” Reds manager Bob Boone said.

        The loss Thursday was no embarrassment, because Randy Johnson was responsible.

        Johnson (18-4) wasn't at his best, battling flu-like symptoms and never exceeding 96 mph on the scoreboard's radar. But he allowed only two hits and two runs (one earned) in eight innings.

Ryan Dempster gave up three homers. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        At least the Reds cut down on their Ks, fanning 11 times Thursday. Johnson tied the major-league record of 20 strikeouts when he last faced them, last May in Phoenix, and he has 48 strikeouts in his last 25 innings against Cincinnati.

        Johnson is 3-1 with a 1.24 ERA in seven career outings against the Reds.

        Bad news: The Reds will see Johnson again next week in Phoenix. Worse news: They will also see Curt Schilling (19-4).

        Ryan Dempster had the misfortune of facing Johnson on Thursday, and he hurt his own cause by allowing six runs on eight hits in six innings, including three home runs. He's now 2-4 with a 9.26 ERA in seven Reds starts.

        “I made mistakes, and when you've got that guy (Johnson) on the other end, a three- or four-run cushion is too much,” Dempster said.

Aaron Boone, running to third, ducks as Matt Williams prepares to throw past him. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        Cincinnati held a brief 1-0 lead when Larson hammered a second-inning home run in his first career at-bat against Johnson. He had a good night, earning the Reds' other RBI on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and also walking.

        Yet Quinton McCracken had similar success against Dempster. Though he had just one prior home run this century, McCracken hammered a third-inning shot into the green seats. In the fifth inning, he came within about four feet of another homer when he doubled off the wall.

        McCracken's double followed a Johnson double, and two batters later Steve Finley hit a three-run homer to right. It was 5-1 D'backs, and Matt Williams added a 398-foot monster shot in the sixth.

        The Reds mounted an unlikely seventh-inning rally: Aaron Boone reached on an error by Williams, Sean Casey had an infield single, and Johnson hit Adam Dunn with a pitch to load the bases with one out.

        Johnson then hit Larson with a full-count pitch to force in a run. But after fouling off several 2-2 pitches, Todd Walker fanned, and then Jason LaRue did as well.

        Are the Reds sulking as they lose ground?

        “I hope not,” Dunn said. “We were flat for some reason the past three games. But these are big games coming up. Houston and St. Louis - that's the teams we've got to beat.”

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