MILWAUKEE — Danny Graves will make Tuesday's start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which means Chris Reitsma is out of the Reds' rotation.

        Reitsma made the last two starts in the No.5 spot and has 21 starts this year. He was beaten around in his last start Aug.31, allowing six runs on 10 hits in 41/3 innings in an 11-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

        Reitsma hopes the Reds haven't given up on him.

        “There's no reason they should give up on me,” he said. “I look at this season as a building block. I think I've gotten better.”

        His numbers support that claim. Reitsma went 7-15 with a 5.29 ERA as a rookie last year. This year, he's 5-10 with a 3.88 ERA.

        Reitsma, 24, will be with the Reds in some role next year. He looked very impressive in relief Saturday night, striking out two of the three batters he faced.

        “He had really good arm action,” Reds manager Bob Boone said. “When he does that, he has a really good changeup.”

        Reitsma is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in five relief appearances. He would prefer to be in the rotation next year, as he was at the start of the last two seasons.

        “I'd love to start,” Reitsma said. “I think it's what I'm best suited for. But it's up to them. I take the ball whenever they give it to me.”

        WALKER SIZZLES: Todd Walker's 3-for-5 game Sunday put his batting average at .294. The Reds' second baseman is hitting .500 in his last 34 at-bats.

        “I've hit the ball consistently all year,” Walker said. “I've put the head of the bat on the ball, but I made a lot of hard outs. Now, they've starting to fall.”

        Walker's career average was .290 entering this season.

        “I think I'm a .300-caliber hitter,” he said. “This is the first year I've gotten consistent at-bats from the beginning to now. That gives you a chance to get hot, like I am now.”

        SILVA SATISFIED: Before his outing Saturday, Reds right-hander Jose Silva hadn't pitched in a big-league game since June28. He's spent 109 total days on the disabled list this season recovering from March4 surgery on his elbow.

        “I was getting frustrated,” Silva said. “But I kept saying time is my friend. You do all the tossing, lift all the weights, but the biggest thing to healing is time.”

        Silva was effective Saturday, pitching two scoreless innings.

        “I felt pretty good,” he said. “I'm not 100 percent.”

        But Silva thinks he can get there by spring training. He plans to play winter ball in Mexico.

        “If the season was starting in a month,” he said, “I'd be set.”

        Silva will be a free agent after this season.

        WINDFALL? According to a report by Jayson Stark on ESPN.com, the Reds will get the sixth-largest increase in the revenue-sharing pie under the new labor agreement. The Reds' share will go from $12.8 million to $15.8 million.

        The figures don't include money from the luxury tax. The biggest winners, according to the report, are the Brewers and Pirates, who will see a $5.9 million bump.

Reds 5, Brewers 4 Reds Box, Runs Reitsma's future uncertain after ouster from rotation Reds-Pirates series preview Astros 6, Dodgers 2 Cardinals 3, Cubs 1 Marlins 11, Pirates 1 Liner decks Dodgers' Ishii

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