By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Tuesday's game

Jose Guillen said Bob Boone was very clear about his role when Guillen was called up from Triple-A Louisville to take Ken Griffey Jr.'s roster spot.

"He told me (Reggie) Taylor and (Ruben) Mateo were going to get the first chance," Guillen said. "He told me I was going to be a pinch hitter off the bench. If they didn't do the job, I'd get a chance to play."

Taylor and Mateo failed during their trial in the lineup, so Guillen got his chance. He made the most of it.

After going 0-for-4 in his first start, Guillen went 6-for-13 with a homer and three RBI in his next three games.

He started for the fifth straight game Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies.

"All I wanted was an opportunity," he said.

GRULER SURGERY: Right-hander Chris Gruler underwent surgery Tuesday at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati to repair the torn labrum and torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.

Medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek performed the 90-minute arthroscopic procedure.

Gruler, the No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft who signed for $2.5 million, will begin rehab today, expected to last nine months to a year.

WRIGHT STUFF: Jamey Wright, the 28-year-old right-hander released by Milwaukee on Monday, sounds like a possible Reds reclamation project.

"I've always wanted to see what would happen if (pitching coach Don Gullett) got a hold of him and straightened him out," Reds manager Bob Boone said.

Wright was 1-3 with a 7.36 ERA in Triple-A when the Brewers released him.

RANDALL ROLLS: Louisville pitcher Scott Randall beat Toledo Sunday 10-5. It was Randall's 17th consecutive winning decision.

Randall, a 27-year-old right-hander, is 3-0 with a 3.43 ERA for Louisville.

SCOOTER AND THE BIG MAN: Ryan Dempster, who lives in Denver in the offseason, arrived at Coors Field on a motorized, stand-up scooter, wearing a black helmet with orange flames painted on it.

Jose Cardenal, the eldest member of the coaching staff at 59, gave the scooter a spin around the clubhouse.

"I almost hit one guy," he said.

VISITORS: Scott Sullivan, Sean Casey, John Riedling and Tom Hume took a tour of the Cheyenne Operations Center in Colorado Springs Tuesday.

The center houses the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

UP NEXT: The Reds play the Rockies in the second game of the three-game series. Dempster (1-1, 5.34 ERA) takes on right-hander Aaron Cook (1-2, 5.79).