By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Reds general manager Jim Bowden and manager Bob Boone during spring training workouts in Sarasota. (Jeff Swinger file photo) | ZOOM |

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - News flash: The Reds did not lose a game Friday. They didn't win either. Their first game of a three-game series with Montreal here was postponed because of rain.

They'll play a day-night doubleheader at 1:05 and 7:05 p.m. today.

The day off might quiet disgruntled fans for a day, but Reds general manager Jim Bowden says the only way to stop the clamoring is to win.

Bowden could placate a lot of furor by shaking things up and firing manager Bob Boone.

But he says that is not going to happen.

"It's certainly not the manager's fault the way we've played," Bowden said. "It's not a reflection on the manager. We've played horribly in all aspects of the game. We need to turn it around. No words are going to make anyone feel any better. The only thing that will help is to change the way we play."

The Reds came into Puerto Rico on a three-game losing streak and had dropped five of six. That alone isn't alarming - it's the way the Reds have lost. They were outscored 38-7 by the Chicago Cubs in the three-game losing streak.

The Reds are last in the National League in fielding (.964) and pitching (6.62 ERA) and second-last in hitting (.225).

"It's embarrassing," Bowden said. "Everyone's disappointed. We have no excuses. There's nothing to do but play better. Oakland lost seven out of eight games, and they have a great club."

The Reds have had three key injuries early. Ken Griffey Jr. (dislocated shoulder), Barry Larkin (strained calf) and Jimmy Haynes (sore back) are on the disabled list.

That puts $23.6 million of the $58 million payroll on the shelf.

"We're sorry we've had a bad start," Bowden said. "We're sorry the way it happened. We didn't expect Jimmy Haynes to start 0-4 ... and a bad back. We didn't expect Junior to start on the disabled list. Those things happen. You can't feel sorry for yourself. There are no excuses. You pick up the pieces and play. We've got to get the pitching straight, and we will."

With Boone's job safe, the other way to shake things up would be to bring up someone from the minor leagues.

The Reds still haven't filled Haynes' roster spot. The leading candidate to replace him, Chris Reitsma, allowed six runs on eight hits in four innings in a 12-3 loss to Durham for Triple-A Louisville Thursday.

Jeff Austin and Seth Etherton also will be considered.

"We'll go by what we saw in spring training, what they're doing (at Louisville) and the reports we get from (Louisville manager) Dave Miley," Boone said. "Certainly coming out of spring training, Reitsma was the next guy. He pitched well until (Thursday)."

The Reds do have some position players playing well at Louisville. None would be considered a prospect - they are all six-year minor-league free agents.

Outfielder Jacob Cruz is second in the International League in hitting at .402. Infielder Jason Maxwell is hitting .395. Infielder Ryan Freel also has played well.

Boone saw all three in spring training. Based on what he saw then, can they help?

"Based on what I'm seeing from guys here," Boone said, "there are a lot of guys there who can help. That's why they're there. But keep in mind it's a different league."

The one player who will be with the Reds as soon as he's ready is Russell Branyan. Coming off October shoulder surgery, he played the first game of his Louisville rehab Thursday, going 1-for-3 with a two-out RBI single.

"I was excited about the way he was swinging in spring training," Boone said. "He got a lot of at-bats in extended spring."

The bigger question is Branyan's throwing arm.

"They say he looks good," Boone said. "But throwing from 120 feet is different than really letting loose from third."

But neither Branyan nor anyone else at Louisville is going to turn around the Reds.

If the players on the roster don't start playing better, the bad start quickly is going to become a bad year.

"All we can do is apologize to the fans," Bowden said. "No excuses. We've got to move forward and play better."

Bob Boone's career

Year	Team	League	Record	Place
1992	Tacoma	PCL	56-87 (.392)	5th/5th
1993	Tacoma	PCL	69-74 (.483)	5th/3rd
1995	Kansas City	AL	70-74 (.486)	2nd
1996	Kansas City	AL	75-86 (.466)	5th
1997	Kansas City	AL	36-46 (.439)	-
2001	Reds	NL	66-96 (.407)	5th
2002	Reds	NL	78-84 (.481)	3rd
2003	Reds	NL	5-11 (.313)	6th
Minor totals			125-161 (.437)
Reds totals			149-191 (.438)
ML totals			330-397 (.454)

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E-mail jfay@enquirer.com