By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Tuesday's game

When we last left Chris Reitsma, he was steaming. He had just been cut from the Reds and he fired back with this:

"I feel bad for the fans of Cincinnati because I feel there's a better team that can be fielded moving into a new stadium."

Reitsma quickly got over his anger. "I was disappointed but they made their decision," he said. "In my experience in this game, if you don't get over things quick and you let it bother you, it's just going to make matters worse. I decided not to make it worse. That's all you can do."

Reitsma, 25, went to Triple-A Louisville and pitched well enough (1-2, 4.00 ERA) that the Reds called upon him as soon as there was an opening in the rotation.

Reitsma will start tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"I'm just very thankful to be back here," he said. "That's the main thing."

Reitsma clearly was the last man cut, but he didn't think that guaranteed him the first call-up.

"Nothing is ever guaranteed," he said. "We knew somebody had to be going up, but we didn't know whether that would come from a trade or what. I was, on purpose, not expecting anything. It was a nice surprise when they did call me, though."

Reitsma spent most of last season in the rotation. He went 6-12 with a 3.64 ERA. The Reds averaged only 2.33 runs per game in his 21 starts.

Reitsma's downfall was making big mistakes.

"He got better at that (over 2001)," Reds manager Bob Boone said. "For some reason, he doesn't get away with many mistakes."

Reitsma will start tonight, but Boone continues to toy with the idea of putting him back in the bullpen. He was 2-2 with a 1.29 ERA after being sent to the bullpen last year.

"If I had a preference to start, I'd like to start," he said. "But if they asked me to relieve, I'll relieve. Whatever it takes to help this team win. That's my main focus."