By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Saturday's game

SAN DIEGO - John Bale's first start was good enough to earn him a second one. "He didn't do anything to warrant us not giving him another chance," Reds manager Dave Miley said.

Bale, a 28-year-old left-hander, pitched 4 2/3 innings of shutout ball in the Reds' 1-0, 12-inning loss to the San Diego Padres Friday night.

"I was pretty happy with it," Bale said. "I wasn't as sharp as I'd like to be. I didn't locate the fastball as well as I would have liked to. It seemed like everyone cut it."

Bale allowed five hits and walked three.

"But I was able to make pitchers when I needed to," he said.

Pitching coach Don Gullett and Miley were impressed with Bale's stuff as well as his moxie.

"He had a good changeup," Miley said. "He didn't have that in his outing against San Francisco. Gully and I liked that he's not afraid to pitch inside."

Bale was pulled in the fifth with two outs and runners at first and second. He had no complaints with the hook.

"I was pretty gassed," he said. "That's the most pitches I've thrown in a long time. But throwing 75 pitches should help me the next time out. I can go a little further each time out."

Bale would be a nice insurance policy for the Reds to take to spring training. He's a guy who has had success on the Triple-A level.

"I want to open some eyes," he said.

He has done that.

RIEDLING ROCKIN': John Riedling's six-up, six-down, two-strikeout performance Friday night extended his streak of scoreless innings 16. That's the longest by a Red this year.

Riedling took a step back to get on track.

"I started looking at tapes from the past when I was having success," he said.

Riedling noticed that in tapes he was "loading up" more, getting his body into his pitching motion.

"I was all arm," he said. "Since I've changed, I've noticed more sink, more life on my fastball."

BYE, BUDMAN: Mark Budzinski was optioned back to Triple-A Louisville to make room on the roster for pitcher Aaron Harang, who started Saturday's game.

Miley would have preferred to keep the extra position player because Russell Branyan continues to deal with a sprained right ankle. He has been limited to pinch hitting.

But after Friday's 12-inning game, in which the bullpen pitched 6 2/3 innings, Miley decided to go with the extra pitcher.

"We didn't want to get caught short," Miley said.

Budzinski appeared in four games (he made one start) and went 0-for-7.

MITCH VISITS: Former Red Kevin Mitchell visited the Reds clubhouse before Saturday's game.

Mitchell is working with young hitters in San Diego, his hometown.

"I got a client I want (Barry Larkin) to talk to," Mitchell said.

Mitchell was a noted authority on hitting in his playing days. He managed in the Independent League in California last year.

"But I enjoy working with kids more," he said.

FARM REPORT: Charlie Manning, the left-hander the Reds got in the Gabe White deal with the Yankees, pitched eight shutout innings in Single-A Potomac's 5-0 win over Winston-Salem. Manning allowed three hits, two walks and struck out four.

• Seth Etherton kept himself in the running for Saturday's start for the Reds by going 6 1/3 innings and allowing two runs on seven hits in Louisville's 5-2 win over Durham.

UP NEXT: Danny Graves will start the series finale today against San Diego's Brian Lawrence.

Graves, 4-12 with a 5.34 ERA, will make his team-high 24th start. He is trying to become the fifth pitcher since the inception of the save rule to lead his team in saves one season and in starts the next.

He lost his previous start, allowing four runs in six innings of a 5-2 loss to Los Angeles.