Austin Kearns is greeted by Sean Casey after hitting a HR Randy Johnson Tuesday night. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        PHOENIX - If the Reds were playing the way Austin Kearns has been hitting, the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros probably would be looking up at them in the National League Central race.

        Kearns has shown that the second-time-around-the-league theory doesn't apply to all rookies. After Wednesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kearns is on an eight-game hitting streak and has hits in 24 of his last 27 games. He has raised his batting average from .277 to .315.

        Ask Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling if they're not impressed. Kearns was 2-for-2 (home run, single, two walks) off Johnson Tuesday night and 2-for-3 (triple, single) against Schilling Wednesday night.

        Kearns, 6-for-7 the past two nights, hit his 12th home run of the year Wednesday night - a 435-foot shot to left-center in the ninth off reliever Matt Mantei. It was his fourth home run in his last six games.

TOP ROOKIES

NL Rookie of the Year candidates:   • Austin Kearns, OF, Reds: Leads rookies in average (.315), RBI (53), hits (111), doubles (23), on-base percentage (.411) and slugging percentage (.500).   • Jason Jennings, P, Colorado: 14-5 with a 4.13 ERA.   • Kazuhisa Ishii, P, Los Angeles: 13-8 with a 4.05 ERA.   • Brad Wilkerson, OF, Montreal: Leads rookies in home runs (17).

        Reds manager Bob Boone said this isn't a case of a player swinging a hot bat.

        “I think he's that good,” Boone said. “It's a pretty impressive thing to see a 22-year-old kid do it consistently. We've seen that since we've signed him. He really knows how to play. ... And he works at it.”

        Kearns was in the clubhouse early Wednesday watching video of himself from Tuesday's game. That's usually a sign of a player coming off a bad game.

        “That's something I've been doing a lot lately,” Kearns said. “I'm looking for little mechanical things, anything that helps.”

        Kearns' surge has put him at the top of the race among position players for National League Rookie of the Year honors. If the vote were today, it would be close between Kearns and Colorado Rockies pitcher Jason Jennings, who is 14-5 with a 4.13 ERA.

        “Obviously, I know who the other guys are,” Kearns said. “But we're in a pennant race. My focus, and everybody else's, is on winning.”

        No rookie has led the Reds in hitting since Grady Hatton did it with a .271 average in 1946. Second baseman Todd Walker (.286) is Kearns' nearest competition, and Kearns is 29 points ahead of him entering Wednesday's game.

        Kearns already has shown he's not the kind of player who goes into long slumps.

        “He doesn't chase pitches,” Boone said. “He's a very professional hitter. He looks for a ball in his zone. When he gets it, he's good at squaring it.”

Diamondbacks 11, Reds 3 Reds Box, Runs Kearns hitting beyond his years Schilling strikes down Reds quickly Reds Notebook: Griffey misses another start Owners give ground on revenue sharing Boone optimistic about avoiding strike Bowden may face another fine Cardinals 4, Pirates 1 Astros 4, Cubs 0 Dodgers 4, Marlins 3, 10 innings Giants 3, Mets 1 Braves 6, Padres 3 Expos 13, Rockies 5

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