By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

HOUSTON - If there ever was a picture that said a thousand words about the 2003 Reds season, it was Reggie Taylor lying on the outfield grass kicking his feet in pain Sunday.

Reds center fielder Reggie Taylor injured his shoulder diving for the ball in the eighth inning. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

Taylor had just separated his left shoulder trying to make a diving catch. He came up a little short, just as the Reds did in their 6-3 loss to the Houston Astros before a crowd of 35,730 at Minute Maid Park. Taylor left here in disabled-list limbo. The shoulder did pop back in on its own, but he'll get an MRI today. Surgery is a possibility.

"It's been unbelievable," said Taylor, who had surgery on the same shoulder two years ago. "I can't even explain it. So many guys going down on one team . . . It's crazy."

Taylor has been the fifth outfielder most of the year. The top four outfielders already were out of the picture Sunday. Ken Griffey Jr. (ankle, shoulder) and Austin Kearns (shoulder) are out for the year. Adam Dunn (thumb) is also on the DL. Jose Guillen was traded to Oakland.

The Reds finished Sunday's game with Jason LaRue in left, Ryan Freel in center and Ruben Mateo in right.

Barry Larkin went on the disabled list Friday after spraining his left ring finger. There are currently nine Reds on the DL. Relief pitcher Mark Watson could be placed there today as well. Watson was to be admitted to Good Samaritan Hospital for tests to try to determine why his legs and arms have swelled up.

"I've never seen it like this in all my years," Larkin said.

All the injuries haven't made the Reds timid. Taylor was injured on a play very similar to the one on which Griffey dislocated his shoulder on April 5.

Jeff Bagwell was on third and the Reds were down 5-2 when Richard Hidalgo sent one toward the left-center field gap. Taylor made a full layout dive for it.

"Some people say, 'Why do you dive for it when you're down three and the runner on third's going to score anyway?' " Taylor said. "That's the way I play. I leave it on the field."

You certainly can't question the Reds' effort. Their lineup on a daily basis is Triple-A caliber. But they finished the road trip against Arizona and Houston 3-3.

"If you told me we were going to take two of three here in Houston, I would have been very happy with it," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "We were 3-3 against two teams scrapping for the playoffs."

The Reds had Sunday's game in reach until a three-run sixth.

Sean Casey gave the Reds a 1-0 lead when he led off the second with his first home run in 84 at-bats. The Astros scored a run in second and another in the third to go up 2-1.

The Reds tied it in the fourth when LaRue singled in Ruben Mateo, who had doubled.

John Bale, making his fourth start as a Red, went 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits.

Brian Reith got the last out of the fifth and started the sixth. He walked Jeff Kent with one out. Kent stole second and went to third when LaRue's throw went into center field. Kent scored on Hidalgo's single. Jason Lane followed with his first home run of the year, making it 5-2.

D'Angelo Jimenez's homer in the eighth made it 5-3.

But the Astros got it back in their half of the eighth off Joe Valentine, who was making his major league debut.

Coming back from three runs against Billy Wagner in the ninth is always tough. Sunday, it may have been impossible. Wagner registered 101 mph on the scoreboard radar gun and retired the side in order for his 36th save.

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Freel lf-cf	3	0	0	0	1	0	.273
Olmedo ss	4	0	1	0	0	0	.275
DJimenez 2b	3	1	1	1	1	0	.303
Casey 1b	4	1	1	1	0	1	.291
RMateo rf	4	1	1	0	0	1	.242
JCastro 3b	4	0	0	0	0	2	.250
Valentine p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
LaRue c-lf	2	0	1	1	2	1	.232
WPena cf	2	0	0	0	1	1	.159
Riedling p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.235
Chamblee 3b	1	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Bale p	2	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Reith p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Taylor cf	1	0	0	0	0	0	.217
CMiller c	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	31	3	5	3	5	8

Houston	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Biggio cf	3	0	2	1	1	0	.259
Ensberg 3b	4	0	1	0	0	1	.287
Bagwell 1b	4	1	1	0	0	1	.273
JKent 2b	3	1	0	0	1	1	.288
Hidalgo rf	4	2	3	3	0	1	.308
Lane lf	4	1	1	2	0	0	.125
RChavez c	4	0	2	0	0	0	.600
AEverett ss	3	1	1	0	0	0	.238
Robertson p	1	0	0	0	0	0	.143
JVizcaino ph	1	0	0	0	0	0	.238
Dotel p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
BWagner p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	31	6	11	6	2	4

Cincinnati	010	100	010	-3	5	1
Houston	011	003	01x	-6	11	0

E-LaRue (8). LOB-Cincinnati 6, Houston 4. 2B-RMateo (6), Biggio (37), RChavez (1). 3B-Hidalgo (2). HR-DJimenez (3), off Dotel; Lane (1), off Reith; Hidalgo (22), off Bale; Casey (12), off Robertson. RBIs-DJimenez (12), Casey (66), LaRue (45), Biggio (46), Hidalgo 3 (69), Lane 2 (2). SB-Biggio (6), Bagwell 2 (8), JKent (5). S-Robertson. GIDP-Ensberg, Bagwell, AEverett.

DP-Cincinnati 3 (Olmedo, DJimenez and Casey), (Olmedo, DJimenez and Casey), (Olmedo and Casey).

Cincinnati	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Bale	4 2/3	6	2	2	1	3	75	2.70
Reith L, 1-3	2/3	3	3	3	1	0	24	4.54
Riedling	1 2/3	0	0	0	0	1	11	5.29
Valentine	1	2	1	1	0	0	28	9.00

Houston	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Robertson W, 12-6	7	4	2	2	5	4	97	5.02
Dotel H, 25	1	1	1	1	0	2	16	2.90
BWagner S, 36	1	0	0	0	0	2	13	1.83

IBB-off Robertson (WPena) 1.

T-2:45. A-35,730 (40,950).

How the runs scored in Sunday's game between the Reds and the Astros

Reds second. Casey homered to right on a 2-1 count. Mateo flied out to center fielder Biggio. Castro grounded out, first baseman Bagwell to pitcher Robertson. LaRue walked on four pitches. Pena struck out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on. Reds 1, Astros 0.

Astros second. Kent struck out. Hidalgo homered to left on a full count. Lane flied out to right fielder Mateo. Chavez flied out to center fielder Pena. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Astros 1, Reds 1.

Astros third. Everett infield single to second. Robertson sacrificed, pitcher Bale to second baseman Jimenez, Everett to second. Biggio doubled to left, Everett scored. Ensberg singled to left, Biggio to third. Bagwell grounded into a double play, shortstop Olmedo to second baseman Jimenez to first baseman Casey, Ensberg out. 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Astros 2, Reds 1.

Reds fourth. Casey grounded out, second baseman Kent to first baseman Bagwell. Mateo doubled to left. Castro grounded out, shortstop Everett to first baseman Bagwell. LaRue singled to left, Mateo scored. LaRue to second. Pena was intentionally walked. Bale struck out. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Astros 2, Reds 2.

Astros sixth. Bagwell fouled out to third baseman Castro. Kent walked on a full count. Kent stole second, on catcher LaRue's throwing error, Kent to third. Hidalgo singled to left, Kent scored. Lane homered to right on a 1-2 count, Hidalgo scored. Chavez bunt single to third. Riedling pitching. Taylor in as center fielder. Everett grounded into a double play, shortstop Olmedo to first baseman Casey, Chavez out. 3 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 0 left on. Astros 5, Reds 2.

Reds eighth. Dotel pitching. Jimenez homered to right on a 2-2 count. Casey flied out to left fielder Lane. Mateo struck out. Castro struck out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Astros 5, Reds 3.

Astros eighth. Valentine pitching. Chamblee in as third baseman. Bagwell singled to center. Bagwell stole second. Kent fouled out to catcher LaRue. Bagwell stole third. Hidalgo tripled to center, Bagwell scored. Freel in as center fielder. LaRue in as left fielder. Miller in as catcher. Lane flied out to right fielder Mateo. Chavez flied out to center fielder Freel. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Astros 6, Reds 3.