The freefalling Cincinnati Reds have just achieved a feat previously thought to be impossible: Getting swept in a three-game series by the Washington Nationals. I don’t need to tell you how bad the Nationals are. Suffice it to say the U.S. Congress is having a good year compared with the Washington baseball team.

Now 10 games under .500, the Reds have never jelled in their first season under Manager Dusty Baker. If the hitters are going well, the pitching is horrible. And vice-versa. When the hitting and pitching both produce, the defense falls apart. Nobody will be surprised if slugger Adam Dunn gets seriously injured trying to catch a fly ball.

But I have a solution. The next time the Reds send down a player to their Class AAA affiliate in Louisville, they should send Baker with him. And they should call up Louisville Bats manager Rick Sweet, who is doing as good a job as any skipper at any level.

As always is the case when you’re a minor-league manager, Sweet is never sure who’s going to be on his roster from one game to the next. Players come and go, up and down, as the Reds try to plug holes and get everyone healthy. Some of these guys probably are keeping apartments in both cities.

But this season Sweet has the magic touch. Whatever cards he’s dealt, he finds a way to win. Even after the Reds called up future superstar Jay Bruce and ex-New York Yankee Andy Phillips in May, the Bats just kept on trucking. Guys like Kevin Barker, Adam Rosales, Michael Griffin, Luis Bolivar, and Drew T. Anderson just stepped up their games.

I especially like Rosales. A 25-year-old native of Chicago, he’s a pure hitter who also hustles like the young Pete Rose. You will never have to worry about Rosales failing to run out a grounder.

A couple of mid-season additions, Rob Mackowiak and Shaun Cumberland, stepped seamlessly into the lineup. Mackowiak has big-league experience, mostly with Pittsburgh, and Cumberland was called up from AA Chattanooga.

Sweet and his pitching coach, ex-Reds hurler Ted Power, have handled the pitching staff beautifully. I’ve liked left-hander Matt Maloney ever since he joined the Bats at the end of last season. He’s been so dominant at times this year that he figures to be in Cincinnati sooner or later.

Guys like Daryl Thompson, Adam Pettyjohn, Ben Jukich, Carlos Fisher, and Marcus McBeth also have big-league potential, as does Bobby Livingston, who’s slowly coming back from surgery. In the bullpen, the Bats are loaded with talent in closer Jon Adkins, diminutive Daniel Herrera, and promising fastballer Josh Roenicke.

It seems that everytime the Reds send down a struggling pitcher, Sweet and Power find a way to correct his problems and get him back on the right track. The exception is Homer Bailey, who seems to be such a head case that even Dr. Phil couldn’t straighten him out.

Heading into the homestand that begins tonight against Toledo, the Bats have a 68-48 record and a five-game lead over Toledo in the International League West. What makes this amazing is that they didn’t have a starter in the league All-Star game and don’t have anybody among the league leaders in any of the statistical categories.

Yet they win because they produce what the Reds don’t – hits and big plays when they’re needed the most. The Bats don’t live and die by the home run. They’re content to hit line drives, run the bases well, and take advantage of opportunities.

Sooner or later, probably sooner, the Reds will be making more callups. Now that Ken Griffey Jr. has been traded to the Chicago White Sox and Bruce ensconced in right field, the Reds have a hole in center that Chris Dickerson might have the tools to fill.

One of the Bats’ fastest players, Dickerson covers a lot of ground in the outfield and runs the bases well. And this season, after a slow start, his hitting has improved to where he’s a threat to get on base every time he comes to the plate. He’s also improved his walks-to-strikeouts ratio considerably.

The Reds are carrying three catchers, meaning that Hanigan might have trouble getting a good look. But it says here this kid is going to be a big-league catcher somewhere. He has a cannon for an arm, he handles pitchers well, and although he hits for average more than power, he won’t be a liability on offense.

Shortstop Paul Janish proved he’s already a big-league fielder when injuries to Jeff Keppinger and Jerry Hairston Jr. forced the Reds called him up for a few weeks. The problem is his bat. He’s one of those guys who swings at too many bad pitches. If he can ever become adept enough with the bat to hit a consistent .250, Janish could have a long big-league career stretching before him.

Pure and simple, the Bats are fun to watch. They’re the best sports buy in town. Unlike the parent team, they play solid, sound, fundamental baseball. They rarely beat themselves and there’s a different hero almost every game.

Heck, I’d be willing to bet the Bats could win at least one of three from the Nats. Rick Sweet would figure out a way to win. The Louisville manager has something special going for him this season, and Dusty Baker might want to try and figure out what it is.