Jose Silva has a pretty good gig awaiting him when the Reds' season is over. The injury-prone reliever hopes to pitch as much as possible here the final month and then get down to Culiacan, Mexico, to play winter ball.

        If he throws a lot here, he'll go to Culiacan in December; a little here, then Culiacan in November.

        Culiacan won the Mexican World Series last year. Joining Siliva in the starting rotation: Vicente Padilla (Phillies) and Rodrigo Lopez (Orioles). Also on the staff: Esteban Loaiza (Toronto) and Ricardo Rincon (Oakland). Benji Gil (Angels) also played.

        One of the pitchers for Hermosillo, another Mexican League team, is Fernando Valenzuela, the former Los Angeles Dodgers phenomenon.

        “He can still pitch,” Silva marveled. “He's still the man. And the fans love him, like always.”

        Silva's team is the Tomateros de Culiacan -- the Culiacan Tomato Pickers. Do the fans ever throw tomatoes at the home team if they aren't performing well?

        “No, but they'll boo you right out of the ballpark,” Silva said. “They don't care if you're a big- leaguer or not. They want performance. They want to win. The owner, Juan Manuel Ley, who owns a big chain of Wal-Mart type stores throughout Mexico, is the same way. He wants results. And that's why I like it there. It's just like pitching here.”

        Culiacan is located right on the “fault line,” as Silva calls it; south of it is soccer country; north, baseball country.

        “Culiacan has a strong baseball feel,” said Silva, 28, who was born in Tijuana. “We draw 10,000 a night, and that's packing the place. People wait all year to watch Tomateros. The league starts Oct. 15, goes through Dec. 30. The playoffs start Jan.1 and go three weeks.”

        THIS AND THAT: Brandon Larson (broken left big toe) was activated Saturday. Ken Griffey got a day off, to get his legs well, because without them, he isn't the same hitter, said Reds manager Bob Boone.

Brewers 11, Reds 2 Reds Box, Runs With season winding down, Silva's thoughts turn to Mexico Is Cincinnati the baseball town it once was? Cinergy countdown No. 11 Oh, brother, where art thou? Reds chatter Brewers deal infielder Loretta to Astros Eight weeks of talk, emotion Cards sweep Cubs in doubleheader Dodgers 4, Astros 0 Marlins 3, Pirates 2 Indianapolis 4, Louisville 0 John Fay's MLB power rankings

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