By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Reds pitcher Paul Wilson allowed eight runs on six hits and a walk, becoming the second Reds starter to fail to get an out this season. (Associated Press photos) | ZOOM |

HOUSTON - The Reds continue to push the awfulness envelope one ugly night after another.

Thursday's 11-2 loss to the Houston Astros before 28,712 at Minute Maid Park was a study in ineptitude.

It is pretty much impossible for a game to start any worse for a team. After the Reds were retired 1-2-3 in their half of the first, the Astros took a 6-0 lead before the Reds recorded an out.

Paul Wilson, the Reds' starter, did not retire a batter, the second time this season that has happened to a Reds starter. The long-gone Jeff Austin did not get an out in an 8-4 loss to the Florida Marlins May 23. With Wilson, the Reds' most reliable starter, you don't expect that.

"It's never happened to me before and hopefully it will never happen again," Wilson said. "My team needed a better performance from me. I take responsibility for what happens out there. I'm responsible for that (butt)-kicking."

The loss completed the Astros' first four-game sweep over the Reds here since 1971.

ONE DREADFUL INNING

A look at the Houston Astros' first at-bat, in which they scored nine runs: (Paul Wilson pitching) Craig Biggio reached first base on an error. Geoff Blum singled, Biggio to third. Jeff Bagwell singled, Biggio scored, Blum to second. Astros 1-0. Lance Berkman walked, Blum to third, Bagwell to second. Richard Hidalgo doubled, Blum, Bagwell and Berkman scored. Astros 4-0. Morgan Ensberg singled, Hidalgo to third. Brad Ausmus singled, Hidalgo scored, Ensberg to second. Astros 5-0. Adam Everett singled, Ensberg scored, Ausmus to second. Astros 6-0. (John Riedling pitching) Ron Villone struck out swinging. Biggio singled, Ausmus to third, Everett to second. Blum singled, Ausmus and Everett scored, Biggio to second. Astros 8-0. Bagwell walked, Biggio to third, Blum to second. Berkman walked, Biggio scored, Blum to third, Bagwell to second. Astros 9-0. Hidalgo struck out. Ensberg grounded out to shortstop. Astros totals: 9 runs, 8 hits.

"It was a pretty embarrassing series," Reds manager Bob Boone said. "We didn't play with them at all."

The Reds were outscored 23-4 in the last two games of the series and 36-8 overall. They were outhit 58-23 in the series.

As a result of the disaster here, you can make a good case the Reds have fallen out of contention:

• They lost a game in the National League Central standings and are a season-high 7 1/2 games out of first place.

• They are in fifth place in baseball's only six-team division after 49 straight days in fourth place.

• They extended their season-high losing streak to eight games. They have lost 15 of their last 19.

• They are 10 games under .500 at 40-50.

Then there's this: A sweep by the Brewers in Milwaukee, where the Reds open a three-game series today, would drop them into a tie for last place in the Central at the All-Star break.

Wilson, like Wednesday's starter, Danny Graves, was pitching on three days' rest for the third time under the four-man rotation. And, like Graves, he was coming off a very good start. Wilson allowed two runs on four hits in seven innings in a 7-5 loss to the New York Mets Sunday.

"I felt great," he said. "That had nothing to do with it. I didn't make my pitches and when I did, they put the bat on the ball."

The first inning has been a problem for Wilson all year. Coming in, his ERA was 10.59 in the first and 3.19 after the first.

He got a groundball from Craig Biggio to start the inning. Shortstop Ray Olmedo made a nice play to get to the ball, but his throw was wild.

"The opening error was big," Boone said.

Wilson didn't use the excuse.

"We're supposed to be professionals," he said. "He's trying out there. That's not supposed to beat me, and it didn't."

Jose Guillen, left, throws in the ball as center fielder Reggie Taylor holds his head after colliding with Guillen during the sixth inning. | ZOOM |

Wilson gave up a single to Geoff Blum and another to Jeff Bagwell to score a run. He then walked Lance Berkman.

Richard Hidalgo doubled in three runs. That was the first really hard-hit ball of the inning.

"They kept putting the bats on the ball," Wilson said. "It kind of snowballed from there."

Three more run-scoring singles followed.

That was it for Wilson.

John Riedling came in. He would face seven more hitters and allow three more runs to score in the inning.

"When they hit like that in the first, it's demoralizing," Boone said.

The nine runs were the most the Astros have scored in their history in the first inning.

Wilson's line: no innings pitched, eight runs, seven earned runs, six hits, one walk and no strikeouts. It pushed his ERA from 4.40 to 5.00.

The Reds' first run came on Ken Griffey Jr.'s third home run in as many nights.

D'Angelo Jimenez scored in the sixth inning on Jose Guillen's single to right.

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
DJimenez 2b-3b	4	1	1	0	0	0	.364
Dunn lf-1b	4	0	0	0	0	2	.210
JGuillen rf	4	0	1	1	0	0	.335
Griffey Jr. cf	2	1	1	1	1	0	.245
Taylor cf	1	0	0	0	0	1	.219
ABoone 3b	3	0	0	0	0	0	.266
Branyan lf	1	0	0	0	0	0	.239
Casey 1b	3	0	1	0	0	0	.295
JCastro 2b	1	0	0	0	0	1	.243
Stinnett c	3	0	0	0	0	0	.261
Olmedo ss	2	0	0	0	1	1	.293
PWilson p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.067
Riedling p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250
Mercker p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Larkin ph	1	0	0	0	0	0	.270
Reith p	1	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Reitsma p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.125
Totals	30	2	4	2	2	6

Houston	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Biggio cf	4	2	2	0	0	0	.273
BHunter cf	2	0	1	0	0	1	.253
Blum 2b-1b	6	1	3	2	0	1	.281
Bagwell 1b	2	2	1	1	2	0	.267
Merced 1b-rf	2	0	0	0	0	0	.252
Berkman lf	2	2	2	1	3	0	.281
Hidalgo rf	5	1	2	4	0	1	.318
Bruntlett 2b	0	0	0	0	0	0	.238
Ensberg 3b	4	1	2	0	1	0	.307
Ausmus c	4	1	2	2	1	1	.209
AEverett ss	5	1	1	1	0	0	.247
Villone p	3	0	0	0	0	2	.091
Matranga ph	1	0	0	0	0	0	.200
Stone p	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	41	11	16	11	7	6

Cincinnati	010	001	000	-2	4	1
Houston	902	000	00x	-11	16	0

E-Olmedo (4). LOB-Cincinnati 4, Houston 13. 2B-Biggio (27), Hidalgo (24). 3B-BHunter (1). HR-Griffey Jr. (11), off Villone. RBIs-JGuillen (45), Griffey Jr. (23), Blum 2 (32), Bagwell (44), Berkman (58), Hidalgo 4 (49), Ausmus 2 (26), AEverett (24). S-Riedling.

Cincinnati	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
PWilson L, 5-6	0	6	8	7	1	0	41	5.00
Riedling	3	5	3	3	4	3	67	6.31
Mercker	1	1	0	0	0	0	17	2.36
Reith	3	3	0	0	2	2	53	3.86
Reitsma	1	1	0	0	0	1	12	4.72

Houston	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Villone W, 1-0	6	4	2	2	2	2	92	2.70
Stone S, 1	3	0	0	0	0	4	31	3.52

PWilson pitched to 8 batters in the 1st.

Inherited runners-scored-Riedling 2-2.

WP-PWilson.

T-3:00. A-28,712 (40,950).