By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Almost one year ago to the day that his long, nightmarish struggle began, Austin Kearns showed signs that things are getting back to normal.

Kearns went 2-for-4 with two RBI - two very big RBI - in the Reds' 7-4 victory over the Houston Astros Friday night.

"Honestly, it feels good to contribute, to help out," Kearns said.

Kearns was helping out a lot last year. On May 22, Kearns was hitting .309 with 13 home runs and a National League-leading 44 RBI.

That night, Ray King fell on him in a collision at the plate, and Kearns' right shoulder was wrecked. He played on - hitting .208 with two homers and 14 RBI in 37 games - before shutting it down.

He had surgery on the shoulder Aug. 14 and has been rehabilitating it pretty much ever since.

He didn't hit in spring training. He didn't hit early in the season. He was at .137 when he suffered a broken forearm when he was hit by a pitch in Pittsburgh.

Maybe the two weeks off were what he needed. Maybe the week in Triple-A, where he hit .357 with two home runs and eight RBI, helped him find his stroke.

Whatever it is, he has looked better since he returned to the Reds three games ago. He is 3-for-10 with a .416 on-base percentage.

But he's still finding himself.

"You don't see pitchers like we face in our division in Triple-A," he said before Friday's game. "This division probably has the best pitching in baseball. We were facing Andy Pettitte tonight. He's one of the best pitchers around."

Kearns went 1-for-2 with a walk off Pettitte. His big at-bat came against Dan Miceli in the sixth with runners at second and third and two outs. The crowd was up and screaming.

"That makes it fun," Kearns said.

He got just enough of a Miceli pitch to get it into no-man's land in center.

"Sometimes that's what gets you going," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "It was nicely placed. It was good for him, good for us."