By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Sunday's game

MIAMI - Nearly six months after he first broached the subject, manager Bob Boone finally put Adam Dunn in the leadoff spot.

It was a two-step move. The first step was to get Felipe Lopez out of the lineup.

"That last 0-for-5 pushed me to the wall," Boone said.

Lopez actually went 0-for-4 Saturday. But it would be easy to lose count. Lopez is hitless in his last 13 at-bats, with four in his last 33.

Step 2 was finding someone else to hit leadoff.

"If you can find another (leadoff man) in that bunch, let me know," Boone said.

The other choices were Juan Castro or Rainer Olmedo. Castro has never been known for his bat, and Olmedo went into the game without a big league hit.

Dunn went 0-for-4 with a walk and was hit by a pitch.

Dunn is second on the team with 27 walks. His on-base percentage -.323 - is decent for someone hitting .213.

Lopez's average is down to .219. Until Barry Larkin comes off the disabled list - Friday is the first day he's eligible - the Reds don't have a lot of alternatives at leadoff.

SULLIVAN VS. HERNANDEZ: Scott Sullivan and home plate umpire Angel Hernandez had words before the sixth inning Sunday.

"Hernandez told Sully not to hop after a pitch," Boone said. "He thought Sully was trying to show him up (after a ball call). Sully doesn't do that. He always does that hop."

IT'S WELLS: David Wells will start Thursday for the New York Yankees in their series that begins Tuesday in Cincinnati.

Wells is 6-2 with a 3.48 ERA. Left-hander Andy Pettitte (5-5, 4.93) and right-hander Mike Mussina (7-3, 2.62) will start Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

AARON AILING: Aaron Boone was out of the starting lineup for the second time this year. Russell Branyan started at third base and hit fifth.

Boone has been dealing with a sore back, which he downplays.

But Boone's been in a slump.

He has only five hits in his last 34 at-bats, dropping his average from .293 to .255.

He entered Sunday's game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and lined into a double play.

Because he played Sunday, Boone's consecutive game streak goes to 218, the longest by a Red since Dave Parker played in 267 straight from 1985 to 1987.

DEMPSTER LIKELY: Ryan Dempster will likely start Saturday against Toronto.

"That's what we're hoping for," Bob Boone said.

Dempster was supposed to start May 30 for Triple-A Louisville in Syracuse, but the game was rained out. Dempster's start was pushed back a day.

Dempster is on the disabled list with an inflamed nerve in his neck.

FARM REPORT: Right-hander Nate Cotton recorded his ninth save for Single-A Potomac in a 4-2 win over Kingston.

Cotton, a 23-year-old right-hander, is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He's allowed only nine hits and has struck out 23 in 16 2/3 innings.

Cotton was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He recorded 34 saves and had a 1.96 ERA at Single-A Dayton last year.

UP NEXT: The Reds are off today. They open a three-game series with New York Yankees Tuesday at Great American Ball Park.

Tuesday's Interleague games

Anaheim vs. Montreal at San Juan, 7:05 p.m.

Texas at Atlanta, 7:05 p.m.

Boston at Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.

Oakland at Florida, 7:05 p.m.

Seattle at Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m.

Milwaukee at N.Y. Mets, 7:10 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees at Cincinnati, 7:10 p.m.

Baltimore at Houston, 8:05 p.m.

Toronto at St. Louis, 8:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Chi. Cubs, 8:20 p.m.

Cleveland at Colorado, 9:05 p.m.

Chicago WS at Arizona, 9:35 p.m.

Detroit at San Diego, 10:05 p.m.

Kansas City at LA, 10:10 p.m.

Minnesota at San Francisco, 10:15 p.m.