By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SARASOTA, Fla. - Pitcher Jimmy Haynes has taken the mound countless times in his life. But Saturday was different.

"It felt a little weird," he said. "I hadn't been out there in so long, then not starting. It was weird."

Haynes, the Reds' Opening Day starter last year, made his spring debut Saturday.

Haynes went one inning. He gave up a hit and struck out one in the Reds' 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Ed Smith Stadium. But the pitcher, by all accounts, looked good.

"It was surprising how sharp he was after not pitching for so long," catcher Jason LaRue said.

Haynes, a 31-year-old right-hander, had not pitched since Aug. 3, when he had to leave what became a 7-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants because of back spasms, which kept him out the rest of the year.

Then, Haynes was shut down after throwing just once this spring when testing showed weakness in his core muscles.

The Reds put the pitcher on a strenuous abdominal strengthening regimen before he returned to throwing.

Haynes had thrown in simulated games and bullpen sessions before Saturday, but having fans in the stands and an umpire calling balls and strikes, makes pitching a tougher task. The good news: Haynes passed the test.

"He was very sharp," manager Dave Miley said.

The pitcher said he was pleased with his day.

"I could have gone another inning or two (Saturday)," Haynes said. "My arm felt fine."

Haynes threw 12 pitches - nine strikes - and used his fastball, curve and split-finger.

"It was better than I expected," Haynes said.

Haynes was one of three veterans, along with Paul Wilson and Cory Lidle, initially projected by general manager Dan O'Brien to be in the starting rotation.

But the young starters - Brandon Claussen, Jose Acevedo and Aaron Harang - are pitching very well, and minor-league free agent Jesus Sanchez has been the surprise of camp.

O'Brien has backed off his early rotation prediction, but Haynes says he's not worried. He's just glad to be part of the mix again.

"I want to get out there - period," he said. "I hate sitting around, not being in the mix."

The Reds remain confident that Haynes can return to his 2002 form, but they were disappointed that he didn't come in ready to pitch after his back problems last year.

Haynes was 2-12 with a 6.30 ERA in 2003, after going 15-10 with a 4.12 ERA in 2002.

"Last year was frustrating all around," he said. "It's tough pitching with a bad back. Everyone deals with a sore arm. You're going to have that. But I want the rest of me to be healthy."

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E-mail jfay@enquirer.com