DaytonDailyNews.com

CINCINNATI — Jerry Hairston Jr. is a man with a plan. By his reckoning, he will be back in the lineup when the Cincinnati Reds hit Houston next Monday — with, of course, the cooperation of Mother Nature.

He is little more than a week into his right hamstring injury, but has been doing resistance running in the training room pool the last two days.

"I'm going to start running on the field (today) or Wednesday and if that goes well maybe I'll appear in a couple of rehab games in Dayton and be ready to go in Houston," he said. "That's the plan."

Despite the injury, there was a Hairston in Monday's lineup batting leadoff. It was Jerry's brother Scott, who plays for San Diego.

"I don't know if I'd show up if I'm injured and my little brother plays for the other team and has more home runs than you (15-2)," said Adam Dunn.

Asked if he gave scouting reports on his brother to the Reds pitchers, Hairston said, "No, they don't need them. They know him. Our advance scouts do an excellent job. Our pitchers know him better than I do.

"Is he playing tonight? Yes? Wow, I wish I was playing," Hairston added. "He's swinging a hot bat, too. He is a very talented player. We went to lunch Monday and I was glad to see he picked up the check — first time in 100 tries."

Before the game, Scott Hairston cut out a photo of Elvin Tibodeaux from The Bill Cosby Show and had a clubhouse attendant hang it up in the Reds clubhouse, "Because he looks just like my brother and this is going to get all up in his head."

Plotting the pitchers

Manager Dusty Baker furnished the updates on injured and disabled pitchers Aaron Harang and Jared Burton.

"He is supposed to do some stuff the next couple of days," said Baker. "He has been training and working hard, doing a lot of cardio, so he is going to be in great shape when he comes back. We just have to get his (forearm) in shape."

Of Burton, down with a right lat muscle injury, Baker said, "We have to get the inflammation out of there and we're not sure how long that will be."

Playing the bad guys

Still inexplicable is the Reds penchant for playing to the level of the competition — good against teams with records above .500 (32-29) and bad against teams with records below .500 (16-23).

The next 12 games are against poor-record teams — San Diego, Colorado, Houston, Washington.

Baker said it is sometimes more difficult to play teams like the Padres.

"They have about 10 new guys and we don't know much about 'em," said Baker. "It's like September call-ups. You can't overlook anybody, especially teams like San Diego that you don't know much about."

Quote(s) of the day

"It's like standing on the first tee at Augusta without any golf clubs." — pitcher Kent Mercker, talking about being in uniform but unable to play due to injury.

"What day is it? July 21? Ten days until the trade deadline. Pretty quiet. Scary." — Adam Dunn.

Club to hold one more spring

CINCINNATI — The Reds will hold one more spring training in Sarasota, Fla., before moving their camp to Arizona.

The Reds exercised their lease option on Monday, July 21, to stay one more year in Sarasota, where the team has held spring training since 1998. Cincinnati wanted to keeps its spring training facility in Sarasota, but decided to look elsewhere after voters there turned down a tax levy for improvements and politicians couldn't agree on funding.

The Reds have agreed to move to Goodyear, Ariz., in 2010, sharing a spring training facility with the Cleveland Indians.

— Associated Press