By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Reds are in first place, and Adam Dunn assures you it is not a mirage.

"We think we can compete in this division," Dunn said. "We might be the only people who think that. But people are going to see a different team than last year."

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Friday's game

If Friday's 5-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates is any indication, people in Redsville are already curious to see if there really is a difference.

There were 9,461 walk-up ticket buyers Friday, pushing the crowd at Great American Ball Park to 27,713. That's the largest walk-up crowd since May 21, 1994, when 10,189 walked up for a Reds-Dodgers game at Riverfront Stadium.

"That's awesome," Sean Casey said. "This is a baseball town. They want to see a winner."

The season is less than a week old and they passed the Milwaukee Brewers to get into first, so the achievement doesn't exactly call for a whoop-it-up celebration on Fountain Square.

But a 3-1 start from a team expected to go nowhere quickly is a good sign. Last year's team was not in first for one day. It's the first time, in fact, the Reds have been alone atop the National League Central since June 15, 2002.

The crowd saw an impressive display of pitching and power.

Starter Aaron Harang went six innings, allowing one run on six hits, striking out five and walking two.

Ken Griffey Jr. hit a two-run homer in the first, and Dunn hit a solo shot in the second. It was the second time in three games that they've homered in the same game.

"That's nice, obviously," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "To jump out to a lead like that is huge."

Juan Castro, in a spot start at shortstop, had an amazing night defensively. Castro took away four hits with spectacular plays.

"He makes it look easy, doesn't he?" Miley said. "Manos de oro. Hands of gold."

The Reds have gotten quality starts - six innings or more, three runs or fewer - in all three victories.

They were 40-16 last year when they got a quality start. "That's been pointed out to (the starters)," Miley said.

Harang, a 25-year-old right-hander, was not as sharp as he was in spring training. The two walks were as many as he allowed in 24 2/3 innings in spring training. But he was in trouble only in one inning.

Griffey gave the Reds a 2-0 lead by following Ryan Freel's single with a moon shot to right field.

The Pirates cut the lead to 2-1 in the second, but Dunn got the run back in the Reds' half of the inning. He crushed a Josh Fogg pitch off one of the smoke stacks in right-center field - a shot of 458 feet.

The Reds got Harang a little comfort room in the third. With one out, Freel reached on an error. Griffey walked and Sean Casey scorched one into the right-field corner for a triple, making it 5-1.

"I wouldn't say you can relax," Harang said. "But the lead lets you pitch the way you want."

Castro turned in four plays each prettier than the next. He robbed Jason Kendall of a hit by fielding a ball almost behind the second base bag and throwing him out. In the third, Castro went deep into the hole and got Fogg with a rainbow throw to first. An out later - a routine 6-3 by the way - Castro got Kendall again, cutting off a ball just to the left of second base. In the ninth, Castro, who had moved to third, knocked down a smash by Jack Wilson and threw him out.

"Don't ask how because I don't know," Castro said.

"If they gave Gold Gloves for utility guys he'd get one," Miley said. "I told him he's going to play 162 games. I don't know how many innings, but he'll play every day. But with him out there you want the ball hit to him."

Pittsburgh	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
TRedman cf	5	0	1	0	0	1	.313
Kendall c	3	0	0	0	1	1	.385
Mondesi lf	3	0	0	0	1	2	.200
Simon 1b	4	1	1	0	0	2	.182
CWilson rf	4	0	2	1	0	0	.438
Hill 2b	4	0	2	0	0	1	.417
Stynes 3b	4	0	0	0	0	2	.000
JWilson ss	4	0	1	0	0	1	.400
Fogg p	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Boehringer p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
ANunez ph	1	0	1	0	0	0	.500
Grabow p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Boyd p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Mackowiak ph	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	34	1	8	1	2	10

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
DJimenez 2b	3	0	0	0	1	1	.231
Freel 3b	4	2	1	0	0	0	.200
Olmedo ss	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Griffey Jr. cf	3	2	1	2	1	1	.364
Kearns rf	4	0	1	0	0	2	.200
Casey 1b	2	0	1	2	2	0	.500
Dunn lf	3	1	1	1	1	1	.300
LaRue c	4	0	0	0	0	1	.000
JCastro ss-3b	4	0	1	0	0	0	.125
Harang p	2	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Valentin ph	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Reith p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
WPena ph	1	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Riedling p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Totals	30	5	6	5	6	7

Pittsburgh	010	000	000	-1	8	2
Cincinnati	212	000	00x	-5	6	1

E-Kendall (1), JWilson (1), Freel (1). LOB-Pittsburgh 9, Cincinnati 7. 2B-Simon (1), CWilson (2). 3B-Casey (1). HR-Dunn (2), off Fogg; Griffey Jr. (2), off Fogg. RBIs-CWilson (3), Griffey Jr. 2 (4), Casey 2 (7), Dunn (2). SB-Kearns (1). S-Fogg. GIDP-JWilson.

DP-Cincinnati 1 (JCastro, DJimenez and Casey).

Pittsburgh	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Fogg L, 0-1	5	5	5	3	3	2	89	5.40
Boehringer	1	1	0	0	2	1	35	18.00
Grabow	1	0	0	0	1	2	18	0.00
Boyd	1	0	0	0	0	2	13	0.00

Cincinnati	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Harang W, 1-0	6	6	1	1	2	5	93	1.50
Reith	2	2	0	0	0	4	33	0.00
Riedling	1	0	0	0	0	1	11	0.00

IBB-off Fogg (Dunn) 1. PB-LaRue.

T-2:33. A-27,713 (42,271).