By Kevin Kelly
Enquirer staff writer

Teammates patted his back and offered congratulations. The manager and coaches shook his hand.

Brandon Claussen shuffled through the crowd Tuesday and then took a seat on the bench.

It was the middle of the seventh inning, with the Reds and Brewers tied at two, and the pitcher's exquisite Cincinnati debut was over.

Making his first start for the Reds, Claussen was credited with the victory after allowing two runs on five hits in seven innings of Cincinnati's 6-2 win. (Enquirer photo/Michael E. Keating) Photos from Tuesday's game

Or was it?

Outfielder Jason Romano soon sidled up to the Reds left-hander.

"We gave glory to God right there," Romano said. "And (Brandon) said, 'Why don't you go up there and hit a home run?' "

Call it divine intervention or just a coincidence, but that's what Romano did for the first time as a major-league ballplayer.

His two-run home run off Brewers pitcher Doug Davis with one out in the seventh gave Cincinnati the lead and Claussen the decision in a 6-2 Reds win before 25,388 fans at Great American Ball Park.

"We laughed about it," Romano said. "He said, 'Man, what an awesome day.' "

Added Claussen: "I almost said thank you."

The win, which capped a 3-3 homestand, moved the Reds into second place in the National League Central. They remain 9 1/2 games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals.

Claussen learned of his promotion from Triple-A on Sunday. The advance notice allowed enough time for 30 family members and friends, along with five Louisville groundskeepers, to travel to Cincinnati for Tuesday's game.

Those who have tracked Claussen's progress at Triple-A this season, and anticipated his arrival since the Reds acquired him from the Yankees last summer, were just as eager to see the 25-year-old.

"Commanding" appropriately described the performance.

"I'll tell you what, he threw the ball very well," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "He was in command pretty much all day."

In seven innings, and with 97 pitches, Claussen allowed two runs on five hits. He struck out four and walked two.

"You can win around a pitcher like that," Reds shortstop Barry Larkin said.

The day's only blemish was a two-run home run by Brewers shortstop Bill Hall in the second inning that gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead.

"He's got good stuff," Hall said. "He'll stick around here for a while."

Claussen's best work Tuesday came during pivotal situations.

In the sixth, with two outs and the go-ahead run standing on second base, he worked back from a 3-0 count to get Milwaukee third baseman Wes Helms to pop out to first base.

In the seventh, with runners on second and third, Claussen used an 89 mph fastball to strike out Brewers center fielder Scott Podsednik looking with a full count.

"From everybody that knows him, composure is something he's always shown," Miley said. "... He doesn't seem to let anything bother him."

The delay in getting back to the big leagues - his only other major-league start came with the Yankees on June 28, 2003 - never deterred Claussen.

He used the 18 starts at Louisville this season to his benefit: polishing his pitch control and allowing the game to become fun again.

"I think everybody wants to be proven up here," Claussen said. "You definitely want to go out there and perform to the best of your ability.

"Sometimes it may not work out as far as your line is concerned. Other times it may."

It worked out Tuesday with Romano's help and the assistance of two more runs in the eighth inning.

Second baseman D'Angelo Jimenez drove in one run with a single, and catcher Jason LaRue's sacrifice fly scored Cincinnati's sixth run.

Now 2-0 as a big-league pitcher, Claussen's professional goals remain unchanged.

"You have goals, and sometimes if you set them too high, you're almost setting yourself up for failure," he said.

"The thing about it is it's what makes good stories.

"You like the movie Rudy because the guy had to work hard.

"You don't like the movie Rudy because he got a full ride to Notre Dame and started every game. I want a story like that."

Milwaukee	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Podsednik cf	4	0	0	0	0	1	.251
Magruder lf	4	0	0	0	0	0	.200
BClark rf	2	0	0	0	2	0	.264
Overbay 1b	4	0	1	0	0	0	.344
Helms 3b	4	1	2	0	0	0	.271
BHall ss	4	1	2	2	0	2	.254
KGinter 2b	4	0	0	0	0	1	.249
Moeller c	3	0	1	0	0	0	.229
Jenkins ph	1	0	0	0	0	0	.251
DDavis p	2	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Burba p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Kieschnick ph	1	0	0	0	0	0	.341
Totals	33	2	6	2	2	5

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Freel 3b	4	0	0	0	0	1	.275
TJones p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Riedling p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
JCastro ss-3b	4	2	2	0	0	0	.277
Casey 1b	4	1	2	1	0	0	.340
Dunn lf	4	0	1	0	0	0	.263
DJimenez 2b	4	0	1	1	0	1	.271
WPena rf	3	1	0	0	0	1	.294
LaRue c	3	1	2	1	0	0	.241
Romano cf	3	1	2	3	0	0	.182
Claussen p	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Larkin ph-ss	1	0	0	0	0	0	.296
Totals	31	6	10	6	0	3

Milwaukee	020	000	000	-2	6	2
Cincinnati	000	110	22x	-6	10	2

E-BClark (2), BHall (8), Freel (8), DJimenez (5). LOB-Milwaukee 7, Cincinnati 4. 2B-JCastro (15), Casey (28), LaRue (13). HR-Romano (1), off DDavis; BHall (6), off Claussen. RBIs-BHall 2 (33), Casey (56), DJimenez (32), LaRue (32), Romano 3 (3). SB-BClark (5). S-DDavis, Claussen. SF-LaRue. GIDP-BClark, WPena.

DP-Milwaukee 2; Cincinnati 1.

Milwaukee	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
DDavis L, 9-8	7	10	6	6	0	2	91	3.76
Burba	1	0	0	0	0	1	9	3.45

Cincinnati	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Claussen W, 1-0	7	5	2	2	2	4	97	2.57
TJones H, 22	1	1	0	0	0	1	24	3.81
Riedling	1	0	0	0	0	0	8	4.11

DDavis pitched to 4 batters in the 8th.

HBP-by DDavis (WPena). T-2:26. A-25,388 (42,271).