By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

HOUSTON - If Reds fans have learned anything about general manager Dan O'Brien, it's that he's a patient man.

Patient enough that he hadn't made a single move during the five-game losing streak the Reds snapped with a victory over Houston Monday night.

And no moves are likely to come until at least Wednesday.

"You're always looking to get better,'' O'Brien said. "We're going to have a staff meeting with all the coaches and talk about the entire ballclub."

The meeting won't be until Wednesday, since the Reds weren't scheduled to get back from Houston until 4 a.m. today.

The chief reason for the skid has been the ineffective bullpen. The Reds lead the majors with eight blown saves.

O'Brien named three pitchers at Triple-A Louisville who could potentially help the Reds: Mike Matthews, Brian Shackelford and Joe Valentine.

Matthews, a 30-year-old left-hander, is 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA. He has the most big-league experience of the trio.

Shackelford, a 27-year-old right-hander, is 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA.

Valentine, a 23-year-old right-hander, was 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA before pitching five shutout innings in the Bats' victory over Charlotte Monday night. His numbers are deceptive. He's being used as a starter to develop his pitches. He has some of the best stuff in the organization.

The Reds could use a boost with position players, but they don't have a lot to choose from in the minors.

"Any time you lose two starting players like (Jason) LaRue and (Austin) Kearns, it's a big factor," O'Brien said.