By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SARASOTA, Fla. - It's three weeks from Opening Day for the Reds - a perfect time to ask Marty Brennaman's favorite question: How we lookin'?

Pretty good, thank you, is the collective reply of general manager Dan O'Brien and field manager Dave Miley.

They are happy with the way camp has gone, and pleased with how players have bought into the emphasis on situational hitting, throwing strikes and defense.

"I think myself and the staff put in what we wanted to work on, and the players have done a real good job of it," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "Are we there completely? Probably not. We've got to keep working at it."

Camp Miley has been a hit with the players as well.

"It feels totally different," Austin Kearns said. "Spirits are up. The attitude is totally different. We're working at fundamentals. That's the stuff playoff teams do well. They don't make mistakes."

When games resume Tuesday, the Reds will continue to hammer at the fundamentals, but they also will start making the hard decisions on who makes the 25-man roster, which was trimmed from 56 to 39, effective today. There's still some slack in the roster, but there are tough decisions to be made. To wit:

The rotation

Cory Lidle and Paul Wilson are in. Jimmy Haynes probably is in. But his setback - he spent the first three weeks of camp strengthening his core muscles - has taken away his guaranteed spot.

"If he can get ready and compete," O'Brien said, "we'll go back to the original plan."

Which would have Wilson, Lidle and Haynes in the rotation.

The fourth and fifth spots are up for grabs. Prospects Jose Acevedo, Brandon Claussen and Aaron Harang are the prime candidates. They all have pitched well. Acevedo is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA; Claussen is 0-1 with a 2.00 ERA; and Harang is 1-0 with 2.00 ERA.

But Jesus Sanchez, a non-roster left-hander, has pitched his way into the mix. Sanchez is 1-0 and has not given up a run over seven innings.

"You can't help but put Mr. Sanchez right at the top of the list of surprises," O'Brien said. "We certainly knew his history. At one time, he was a very highly thought of pitcher with the (Florida) Marlins. He has taken some steps to try to re-establish his career."

But the Reds were burned by placing too much stock in spring results last year, when Josias Manzanillo and Jimmy Anderson looked like Cy Young. But Manzanillo went 0-2 with a 12.56 ERA, and Anderson went 1-5 with 8.84 ERA in the regular season before the Reds jettisoned them.

If Acevedo, Claussen and Harang continue to pitch well, it would be hard to start any of them in the minors.

"We want the decisions to be tough," Miley said. "I think that's a good thing. If guys were struggling, it would be simple."

The extra infielders

Juan Castro and Ryan Freel are the only locks in this role.

Castro is good defensively and he's hitting .333 so far this spring. Freel's ability to play the outfield and steal bases makes him a valuable bench player.

Felipe Lopez and Ray Olmedo also are in the running.

"Barring injury, it's unlikely that both of them will make our ballclub," O'Brien said. "The good thing about both players, as talented as they are, they are both very young. We don't feel, as an organization, pushed to rush them."

Neither has hit this spring - Lopez was at .111 going into Sunday; Olmedo was at .067 - but Lopez's defense has been shoddy. He has four errors in seven games.

Tim Hummel is also in the mix. He's a better hitter than Lopez or Olmedo at this point, but he has played only third base for the Reds.

Javier Valentin and Jacob Cruz, both non-roster players, would make the club right now based on merit.

Valentin was brought in as a backup catcher, but the Reds have used him at first and third. He is a switch hitter with some pop.

"He is a pleasant surprise," O'Brien said. "His ability to play first base, his actions around the bag, in addition to his primary position of catcher, that versatility helps him as far as earning a roster spot."

Cruz is coming off knee surgery, but he's likely to take the role John Vander Wal was signed for until Vander Wal recovers from a knee injury.

"Each and every time, he has a quality at-bat," O'Brien said.

The outfield

Freel, Reggie Taylor and Wily Mo Pena are the extra outfielders.

The Reds will have to decide what to do with Pena. He was awful early in camp, but was hitting .500 over his last five games going into Sunday. His defense isn't up to major-league standards, but he's out of options, so the Reds can't send him to the minors without risking losing him.

Former GM Jim Bowden wouldn't do that. But O'Brien says Pena will be treated like everyone else trying to make the team. That probably means Pena will be out of here - through either a waiver claim or a trade.

There's also a chance that the Reds will sign another outfielder when other clubs trim their rosters.

The bullpen

Danny Graves, Chris Reitsma, John Riedling and Ryan Wagner are locks.

Left-hander Mike Matthews is likely to be in as well. The other lefty, Phil Norton, has struggled enough to put himself on the bubble, particularly with Sanchez in the picture.

Todd Van Poppel and Brian Reith also have pitched well this spring.

The Reds say they'll take the best pitchers, regardless of whether they are left- or right-handers.

So those last few spots in the bullpen figure to be some of the toughest calls - particularly if the pitchers continue to perform well.

That's the way it's gone so far.

"As I sit here today, I can only talk about people who have performed at or about the level we anticipated, or individuals who played better," O'Brien said. "I don't know if there's a player I can say is a disappointment to us."

Roster battles

With Opening Day three weeks from today, competition for spots on the Reds' final roster is heating up:

Starters

Jose Acevedo, Brandon Claussen and Aaron Harang have pitched well in the battle for the fourth and fifth spots. Jesus Sanchez, a lefty, has opened eyes.

Infield

Juan Castro and Ryan Freel are sure things to be backups. Neither Ray Olmedo nor Felipe Lopez has hit, but Olmedo's glove could earn him a spot.

Outfield

Wily Mo Pena had a free roster spot last season because of his contract, but GM Dan O'Brien says he must earn a spot this season. Freel, Reggie Taylor and McKay Christensen are also in the mix.

Bullpen

Phil Norton appears to be trailing Mike Matthews and perhaps Sanchez for the left-handed specialist job.