By John Fay
Enquirer staff writer

MILWAUKEE - The Reds were hoping to get healthy over the All-Star Break. Instead, they got a little more beat up before it.

Center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. had to leave Saturday's 5-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers after straining his right hamstring.

Reds center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. walks off the field after being injured in the fourth inning. (AP photo)

Griffey left the game in the fourth inning after landing awkwardly trying to make a running catch. He returned to Cincinnati Saturday night, and will have an MRI and be examined by team medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek today.

"Just when you think he's turning the corner as far as health, this happens," shortstop Barry Larkin said. "Hopefully, it's not serious."

The fact that Griffey walked off the field on his own - without much of a limp - is a good sign.

"It's a positive. We've had situations where we had to cart him off," trainer Mark Mann said. "But we won't know a whole lot until we see the results of the MRI."

Griffey was supposed to start in Tuesday's All-Star Game and participate in Monday's Home Run Derby. That appears doubtful now.

Griffey missed nearly a month of play in 2002 because of a torn right hamstring. A torn left hamstring hampered him all of the 2001 season.

"Until this, it's probably the best he's felt in a long time," Reds manager Dave Miley said.

Griffey played in 80 of the Reds' 87 games this season, starting 76.

With Ryan Freel back in Cincinnati with a bad knee, the Reds were down to three position players on the bench, two them catchers, for the balance of the game.

How thin are the Reds? Griffey's injury resulted in four players changing positions.

Even with more depth, the Reds probably wouldn't have won Saturday night. A sellout crowd of 43,558 that showed up at Miller Park on Gorman Thomas Bobblehead Night got to see the Ben Sheets Show.

Sheets came into the game as the National League's ERA leader, and he pitched like it.

The 25-year-old Brewers right-hander threw eight innings of five-hit shutout ball to improve to 9-5 and lower his ERA to 2.26. He struck out eight and walked one.

Someone asked Miley if Griffey's injury took the wind out of the Reds' sails.

"Ben Sheets was the air-letter-outer," Miley said. "We knew it was going to be tough. He has as good of stuff as anybody in baseball."

Reds starter Cory Lidle was so-so.

"He didn't pitch bad," Miley said. "He let the wrong guys get on base."

Lidle (6-7) went six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits, walking four and striking out five. The Brewers also stole four bases.

The Reds put together a mini-threat in first inning. D'Angelo Jimenez singled and, two outs later, so did Adam Dunn. But Sheets struck out Jacob Cruz.

The Reds again nearly scored in the second inning. Javier Valentin walked and moved to second on a groundout. But Lidle hit a soft fly ball to left field that Geoff Jenkins made a long run for, then caught with a dive.

The Reds put together another slight threat in the sixth. That was it.

Sheets retired the last eight Reds he faced.

Reds catcher Javier Valentin collides with Milwaukee's Bill Hall after Hall attempted a suicide squeeze. (AP photo)

The Brewers salted away the game with runs in the second, third, fourth and sixth innings.

In the second, Lyle Overbay singled and scored on former Red Brady Clark's double.

Scott Podsednik led off to third with a walk. He stole second on a groundout and scored on another groundout.

Clark tripled with one out in the fourth - the play Griffey was injured on.

Bill Hall tried to get him home with a suicide squeeze, but the Reds saw it coming and pitched out. Catcher Valentin got tangled with Clark as he squared to throw, but Valentin got free with enough time to make a throw to Larson to get Clark. However, Valentin's throw was well over Larson's head, and Clark scored to make it 3-0.

"We've still got to execute," Miley said. "That was a big play."

In the sixth, Keith Ginter doubled, stole third and scored on a groundout.

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
DJimenez 2b	4	0	1	0	0	1	.259
Larkin ss	4	0	1	0	0	0	.292
Griffey Jr. cf	2	0	0	0	0	0	.251
Hummel 1b	2	0	0	0	0	1	.253
Dunn 1b-lf	4	0	2	0	0	1	.263
JaCruz lf-rf	4	0	0	0	0	2	.247
WPena rf-cf	4	0	0	0	0	1	.253
Valentin c	2	0	0	0	1	0	.167
Larson 3b	3	0	1	0	0	1	.213
Lidle p	2	0	0	0	0	1	.129
CMiller ph	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
PNorton p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Van Poppel p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.133
Totals	32	0	5	0	1	8

Milwaukee	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Podsednik cf	3	1	0	0	1	1	.254
Counsell ss	4	0	1	0	0	1	.259
Jenkins lf	4	0	0	1	0	1	.251
Overbay 1b	3	2	1	0	1	1	.339
KGinter 3b	4	1	1	0	0	2	.256
BClark rf	4	1	2	1	0	1	.255
BHall 2b	2	0	1	1	2	0	.252
Moeller c	3	0	0	1	1	0	.239
BSheets p	3	0	1	0	0	0	.063
LVizcaino p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Totals	30	5	7	4	5	7

Cincinnati	000	000	000	-0	5	1
Milwaukee	011	101	01x	-5	7	0

E-Valentin (4). LOB-Cincinnati 6, Milwaukee 6. 2B-KGinter (13), BClark (4), BHall (7). 3B-BClark (1). RBIs-Jenkins (47), BClark (22), BHall (29), Moeller (22). SB-Podsednik (34), Overbay (2), KGinter (5), BHall (4). GIDP-Jenkins. DP-Cincinnati 1. DP-Cincinnati 1 (DJimenez, Larson and Hummel).

Cincinnati	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Lidle L, 6-7	6	5	4	3	4	5	102	4.90
PNorton	1	1	1	1	1	0	16	5.82
Van Poppel	1	1	0	0	0	2	19	5.79

Milwaukee	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
BSheets W, 9-5	8	5	0	0	1	8	116	2.26
LVizcaino	1	0	0	0	0	0	15	2.92

IBB-off Lidle (Moeller) 1. PB-Valentin.

Umpires-Home, Andy Fletcher; First, Kevin Kelley; Second, Gary Cederstrom; Third, Jim Reynolds.

T-2:40. A-43,558 (41,900).