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Beltran, Cabrera can’t help Giants in…

hugaluff — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 02:14:42 +0000

Manager Bruce Bochy pointed out that the Giants played from behind for almost the entire series, giving up a total of 10 runs in the first inning.

“We got beat up the last couple of games,” Bochy said. “The first inning killed us. Ten runs in the first inning is too much. You’ve got to find a way to fight back.”

Cabrera arrived Sunday after being acquired in a deal with Cleveland on Saturday night. He went 0 for 3. Beltran is 2 for 17 with an RBI since coming over from the Mets on Thursday.

Johnny Cueto pitched a three-hitter and Joey Votto added a three-run homer and tied his career high with five RBIs for the Reds.

Rookie Todd Frazier hit his first career home run and Drew Stubbs had a career-high four hits as the Reds rebounded from being swept by the New York Mets in four games to post three consecutive wins for the first time since sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers June 13-15.

Cueto (7-4) missed the first month of the season with irritation in his right upper arm and needed 7 1-3 innings to qualify for the National League ERA lead. He went into the game with a 1.88 ERA and lowered it to 1.72 with his first shutout since beating Pittsburgh 9-0 with a one-hitter on May 11, 2010. The complete game was his third of the season, but he lost the other two. Cueto had one walk with six strikeouts while allowing just one baserunner past first base.

“Give their pitcher credit,” Bochy said. “He pitched great.”

San Francisco left-hander Barry Zito was handed his third straight loss after a stretch in which he won three in a row as the Giants were swept for the fifth time this season and first since losing three straight at Oakland June 17-19.

For the second consecutive game, the Reds grabbed a first-inning lead. Stubbs, Edgar Renteria and Votto all singled to produce one run. After Zito’s wild pitch, Brandon Phillips produced a sacrifice fly, and Jay Bruce singled up the middle for a 3-0 lead.

“The pitches to Renteria and Bruce were up,” Zito said. “They were pitches that didn’t finish.”

The Reds led 5-0 after the first inning on Saturday.

Frazier hit a 1-1 pitch from Zito 368 feet over the left field fence for a 4-0 lead with one out in the fourth inning. The Reds made it 5-0 on Bruce’s sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Zito (3-4) allowed eight hits and five runs with two walks and four strikeouts. He also threw a wild pitch.

The Reds broke it open in the seventh on Votto’s 414-foot, three-run homer to center field on a full-count pitch from Guilleromo Mota.

The Reds wrapped up the scoring with Stubbs’ double and Votto’s RBI single in the eighth.

The Giants lost twice by eight runs this season. Bochy isn’t concerned, even with Arizona — first-place San Francisco’s closest pursuer in the NL West — coming in for a three-game series. The East-leading Phillies follow for a four-game weekend series.

“This club is resilient,” Bochy said. We’ve been through this before. It’s not easy. There are always going to be bumps in the road, and this was a big one. It’s up to us. We’ve got to go out there and play our best ball. We’ve got the talent. We’ve just got to do it.”

NOTES: San Francisco optioned rookie SS Brandon Crawford to Triple-A Fresno before the game to make room on the roster for newly acquired SS Orlando Cabrera. … After their six-game road trip, the Giants return home for their second 10-game home stand of the season. After the first of their two 10-game home stands, the Reds leave for a six-game trip to Houston and Chicago. … Phillips extended his hitting streak to 10 games (15 for 42, .357), the team’s longest current streak.

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Paul Daugherty: Reds’ Jay Bruce finds swing again and has monster May

info — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 11:06:24 +0000

Cincinnati’s Jay Bruce has become a more consistent hitter by not swinging at as many bad pitches.

It’s not hard to figure why Cincinnati Reds rightfielder Jay Bruce is suddenly the star most predicted he would be. Bruce had a monster May: 12 home runs, 33 RBIs, .342 batting average. For much of the month, Bruce was the only player manning the fort between legitimacy and creeping irrelevance for the Reds in the NL Central.

All he did was ignore bad pitches.

How hard can that be? The strike zone is not a moving target, home plate is forever 17 inches across. It doesn’t change from year to year. Umpires might have their own version of the zone. The shoulders-to-knees geometry is timeless. Also, to some, confounding.

This is Bruce’s fourth season in the majors, and he’s still just 24. At some point, either you figure out the game or you don’t. Bruce isn’t suggesting he has it figured out. He’s not suggesting he doesn’t, either.

“I plan on being a really good player for a long time,” he says. “This is a step.”

It’s not bluster. He has had his head deflated enough already that he knows how fickle the game can be. As a 21-year-old fresh from Triple-A in 2008, Bruce had a ridiculous 15 hits in his first 26 at-bats. He hung out on the plush leather sectional couches in the Reds clubhouse, with Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, reading magazines about big, expensive vehicles. People told him how great he was.

How hard can this be?

Then he hit .223 in June. And .227 in August. He hit .190 against lefthanders. Mostly, he swung at bad pitches. Welcome to The Show, kid.

In 2009, he maintained the pattern. When Bruce connected, the Reds launched fireworks beyond the outfield walls. He hit 22 homers in 345 at-bats, to go along with the 21 he’d hit as a rookie. When Bruce missed, you could feel the breeze across the Ohio River: 110 strikeouts, .223 batting average. He still says now the best thing that happened to him in ’09 was breaking his wrist in July and sitting for two months.

“It allowed me to catch my breath, get some perspective” he says now.

Last year, he hit .281 with 25 homers and played superb defensively in rightfield. And yet, there was still a feeling locally that Bruce was not the player he should be. That changed in May.

Baseball people talk about “making adjustments” and “trusting your approach.” Reds manager Dusty Baker says Bruce is “seeing the ball like a beach ball instead of a golf ball.”

It’s just another way of saying Bruce is evolving into the hitter most thought he would be. It has been as simple as swinging at good pitches. For hitters, it usually is.

“A gigantic difference in the pitches he’s taking and the pitches he’s swinging at,” noted teammate and reigning NL MVP Joey Votto. “He’s not forcing anything.”

Bruce has a broad, loopy, long-hitter’s hack that has been abused on occasion by smart pitching. Let’s throw him this fastball low and in, and watch him foul it off. The breaking stuff just off the plate looks good, until he pops it up.

“I chased pitches,” Bruce explains. “I’m still chasing pitches, sometimes. That was the book: Throw me something I’ll pop up or ground out. It’s been evolving for me, though.” Bruce says he’s “learning to get out of my own way.

“I try to clear my mind and have a plan. When I take (balls) and they throw strikes, I’m in pretty good shape.”

Because he was a top draft pick and was so good immediately, Bruce has had a lot of people telling him how he should hit. Because he is conscientious, he wanted to please them all.

Shorten your stroke. Hit the ball to the opposite field. Watch more video. Be more of a technician, like Votto. “He was trying to be something he’s not,” Votto says.

Which was?

“He pulls the ball,” says Votto. “That’s his strength. He felt a little pressure to drive the ball all over the field. He can do that, but his strength is hitting balls in the middle of the plate, that have some height to them. It’s a maturation thing.”

Lately, Bruce has been listening to Bruce. It seems to be working.

“Swinging at the right pitches,” he says. “Not missing mistakes. Not swinging at pitches (pitchers) want me to swing at. It’s pretty anti-climactic.”

Reds hitting coach Brook Jacoby says Bruce is hitting the good pitches he’s getting: “Earlier, a fastball he should have handled, he was fouling back. Breaking balls he should have let come to him, he was going to get them.

“He has (hit well) before. You’d see bits and pieces. It’s a matter of him being patient and putting the strike zone back together.”

Then Jacoby uttered the key to Bruce’s ongoing education: “It’s on him. He can learn (the game) or he can have trouble. It’s not something magical.”

Bruce got a six-year, $51 million contract in the offseason, a move that raised eyebrows locally, from those who believed Bruce would either (a) become satisfied or (b) press. He has done neither. “The contract was big for him,” says Votto. “It gave him peace of mind. ‘I’m not going anywhere, I’m not going to be sent down.”’

He moved his locker cubicle across the room and next to Votto. The two haven’t followed identical career paths, but fairly close. They’ve been friends awhile. It’s an interesting match: Votto, modest, private, somewhat shy, Canadian; Bruce: open, candid and Texan, with all that being Texan implies.

As a hitter, Votto is a technician and, as he says, “very particular.” About hitting and everything else. Bruce hits “by feel. I’m a see-ball, hit-ball guy.” The two feed off each other’s styles and personalities.

Until now, Votto’s bat has carried the Reds. Now, it’s Bruce’s turn. For as long as he can keep it going. “The main thing is,” says Baker, “don’t figure out when it’s going to stop. It’s like surfing. Catch a good wave and ride it all the way to the beach.”

Bruce doesn’t surf; he’s from near Houston. He knows about riding waves, though. All he has to do is hit good pitches.

Paul Daugherty is a columnist for The Cincinnati Enquirer.

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Reds ride Rolen, Arroyo to win over Dodgers

bovionioc — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 08:02:31 +0000

CBSSports.com wire reports
June 3, 2011

CINCINNATI — Scott Rolen takes pride in his ability to drive in runs, so this streak was gnawing at him.

The All-Star third baseman can relax now. It’s over.

Rolen snapped a stretch of seven games without an RBI, coming up with a two-run single with two out in the fifth inning to send Bronson Arroyo and the Reds to a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.

“I still like to measure how things are going by things like average and runs batted in and runs scored,” said Rolen, who hadn’t driven in a run since May 24 in Philadelphia. “RBIs and runs scored are big things for me, and it’s painful to go through a drought like that.

“I haven’t done a postgame interview in a while,” he added with a smile. “I’m excited.”

Arroyo (4-5) allowed one run and five hits in six innings, enough for his first win in seven starts since a 9-5 victory at Milwaukee on April 25. The right-hander, still dealing with the aftereffects of mononucleosis he contracted during spring training, was 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA in his previous three outings.

“May wasn’t too kind to me,” Arroyo said. “It’s June. Hopefully, I’ll get a few wins this month. Actually, I felt worse stuff-wise tonight than I did the last couple of times. This game is funny. Sometimes, you have to be lucky. I threw some balls down the middle that they either popped up or hit into the ground. Sometimes, you avoid the barrel of the bat. Sometimes, you don’t.”

Logan Ondrusek and Nick Masset each got three outs before Francisco Cordero turned in a perfect ninth to earn his 11th save in 13 opportunities this season and No. 301 for his career, snapping a tie with Bruce Sutter for 21st place on the saves list.

The Reds have won back-to-back games for the first time since a five-game winning streak from May 13 through May 17. Manager Dusty Baker hopes the win means Arroyo has turned a corner.

“A lot of times, when you stop a bad streak, you start a good one,” Baker said. “Hopefully, he’ll get on great streak like we’ve seen him do.”

Hiroki Kuroda (5-6) allowed six hits and walked four in six innings for the Dodgers, dropping to 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA in four career starts against Cincinnati. The right-hander has lost his last three starts overall.

The teams left a combined 15 runners on base, eight by the Reds. The Dodgers have scored one run in their last two games after producing a combined 15 in back-to-back wins over Colorado on Monday and Tuesday.

Manager Don Mattingly believes his players got a little overconfident.

“We got a little giddy, scoring all of those runs,” he said. “We have to put guys in the best spots to score runs and protect [Andre] Ethier and [Matt] Kemp.”

The Dodgers loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth. Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp singled and Jay Gibbons was hit by a pitch before James Loney produced a sacrifice fly to give Los Angeles the lead. Kemp was tagged out in a rundown off second on Loney’s line drive, taking the steam out of what could have been a big inning for L.A.

“His thinking was OK,” Mattingly said. “He thought the ball might go through, and he got a little bit too far into no-man’s land.”

Arroyo was grateful for the break.

“I had a few innings that could have blown up in my face,” he said. “I’ll take a win any way I can get it.”

Cincinnati responded in the fifth. Drew Stubbs singled to center with one out and Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, the reigning National League player of the month, walked with two down. Rolen then lined a base hit into center field.

“I got behind in the count,” Kuroda said. “I got myself in trouble. They have a lot of power, especially in this ballpark. I guess I was too careful.”

Notes

Dodger SS Rafael Furcal left after two innings with an injury to his left side. He was hurt throwing out Bruce at third base after Bruce was caught off second on a missed sacrifice attempt.
Los Angeles rookie RHP Rubby De La Rosa will make what would have been Jon Garland’s next start, Mattingly said. Garland, experiencing shoulder problems, did not travel with the team to Cincinnati. De La Rosa, the Dodgers’ 2010 minor league pitcher of the year, is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three relief appearances since making his major-league debut Tuesday.
Reds 2B Brandon Phillips did not start, as much to give him back-to-back days off as to give his right wrist a chance to heal, Baker said. Phillips was hit by a pitch Wednesday.

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Rolen, Arroyo lift Reds to 2-1 win over Dodgers

tples801 — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 07:40:07 +0000

Scott Rolen hit a two-run single with two out in the fifth inning, sending Bronson Arroyo and the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.

The Reds have won back-to-back games for the first time since a five-game winning streak from May 13 through May 17.

The teams left a combined 15 runners on base, eight by the Reds.

The Dodgers loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth. Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp singled and Jay Gibbons was hit by a pitch before James Loney produced a sacrifice fly to give Los Angeles the lead. But Kemp was tagged out in a rundown off second on Loney’s fly ball, taking the steam out of what could have been a big inning for L.A.

NOTES: Dodger SS Rafael Furcal left after two innings with an injury to his left side. He was hurt throwing out Bruce at third base after Bruce was caught off second on a missed sacrifice attempt. … Los Angeles rookie RHP Rubby De La Rosa will make what would have been Jon Garland’s next start, manager Don Mattingly said. Garland, experiencing shoulder problems, did not travel with the team to Cincinnati. De La Rosa, the Dodgers’ 2010 minor league pitcher of the year, is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three relief appearances since making his major league debut Tuesday. … Reds 2B Brandon Phillips did not start, as much to give him back-to-back days off as to give his right wrist a chance to heal, manager Dusty Baker said. Phillips was hit by a pitch Wednesday.

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Cincinnati Reds beat Milwaukee Brewers with late-inning comeback

Stizincickult — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 07:20:46 +0000

Morosi: After Wilpon’s comments, deals are inevitable. But who’s buying?

Rosenthal: Oakland’s GM isn’t afraid to ax his buddy, A’s manager Bob Geren.

Power Rankings: Mariners lead the charge in tumultuous week in MLB.

Roy Halladay and the Phillies led 3-0 before the Reds rallied in the seventh.

The Phillies still had a couple innings left to match the longest game in team history: a 2-1 loss to Chicago in 21 innings on July 17, 1918.

The Reds lost to San Francisco 1-0 in 21 innings on Sept. 1, 1967, in the longest game in their history.

Phillies reliever Danys Baez threw 73 pitches and tossed one-hit ball over five scoreless innings. He led off the 16th using a bat that hardly looked game used, drawing chuckles from Phillies star Shane Victorino and manager Charlie Manuel in the dugout.

Baez was confused. He grabbed the wrong helmet and forgot to stick pine tar on the bat.

”My arm feels good now,” Baez said. ”I don’t know about tomorrow.”

Today is tomorrow.

”Well, in six hours.”

The Phillies squandered a chance to win it in the 18th when Valdez was stranded on second after a two-out double. Fisher retired Michael Martinez on a liner to left.

Bruce hit a shot off Antonio Bastardo over the scoreboard into the front row of the right-field seats for his 13th homer of the year to put the Reds ahead in the 10th.

Bruce hit a tiebreaking, three-run double in the ninth to lead the Reds to a 6-3 win on Tuesday. He hit a three-run homer against the Phillies on Monday to give him nine RBI in the series.

It was no consolation.

”It’s definitely the strangest I’ve ever been a part of,” Bruce said. ”All that effort and time and you lose. It’s tough.”

Howard tagged Francisco Cordero for his 11th homer to make it 4-all.

”One of the biggest downers in baseball is the late-inning blown save,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said before the game.

How about the late, late, late blown 19-inning game?

”A real tough one to lose,” Baker said.

The starting pitchers were an afterthought when the game ended.

Reds starter Travis Wood and Halladay didn’t come close to matching their classic duel last July 10 at Citizens Bank Park. Wood was perfect until Carlos Ruiz spoiled history in the ninth with a leadoff double. Halladay tossed nine scoreless innings in that one and both pitchers got a no-decision when the Phillies won 1-0 in 11 innings.

Ben Francisco hit a two-run homer for the NL East leaders in the first inning. Ruiz doubled in the second and scored on John Mayberry Jr.’s single.

Drew Stubbs singled, stole second and scored on Votto’s single in the fifth to make it 3-1. Bruce hit a two-run single in the seventh.

NOTES: The Phillies should decide Thursday if RHP Jose Contreras is ready to come off the disabled list. Contreras has five saves and hasn’t allowed a run this season. … Phillies RHP Joe Blanton visited renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on his injured elbow. Blanton will start a throwing program in three to four weeks.

That’s all the news for today.

Cincinnati Reds beat Philadelphia Phillies

fisherbaitcarp — Wed, 25 May 2011 17:42:13 +0000

PHILADELPHIA — Jay Bruce erased a frustrating night with one big swing.

Bruce hit a tiebreaking, three-run double in the ninth inning Tuesday and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 to snap a six-game losing streak.

The Reds had lost eight straight against NL East-leading Philadelphia, including a three-game sweep in the 2010 NL division series.

Bruce came in swinging a hot bat. He had four homers in the past five games and was tied for the NL lead with 12. But he struck out three times and popped out in his first four at-bats before clearing the bases against Ryan Madson (2-1).

“I blew it the first time with guys on second and third and one out,” Bruce said, referring to his strikeout in the fifth. “I just tried to relax and get something I could handle.”

Logan Ondrusek (1-0) retired the only batter he faced to get the win. Francisco Cordero finished for his ninth save in 10 tries.

Drew Stubbs got the Reds started with a one-out bunt single in the ninth. He advanced to second on Madson’s throwing error. After Brandon Phillips lined to shortstop, Joey Votto was intentionally walked. Scott Rolen followed with an infield single as third baseman Placido Polanco made a backhanded grab to save a run.

Bruce then ripped a liner to deep right-center to knock in three and give the Reds a 6-3 lead.

It was the Reds’ longest losing streak since they dropped eight in a row from July 28-Aug. 4, 2009.

“Coming back is kind of our M.O.,” Bruce said. “We’re never out of a game. The experience has helped us.”

Madson hadn’t allowed a run in 13 innings.

“It was a good run,” he said. “I just have to get back out there and start a new roll.”

Neither starter factored in the decision. Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings in his fourth start. The right-hander opened the year on the disabled list.

Filling in for injured Joe Blanton, Vance Worley allowed two runs and six hits in five innings. He has a 1.59 ERA in three starts.

Trailing 3-1 in the fifth, the Reds began a rally when Cueto drew a walk. Stubbs doubled down the right-field line and Phillips sliced a two-run single to right. Phillips advanced to second on right fielder Domonic Brown’s fielding error. After Votto walked, both runners advanced on Rolen’s deep fly to center. But Worley struck out Bruce and Chris Heisey fouled out after Ramon Hernandez was intentionally walked.

“We missed some opportunities early and I was afraid that would come back and haunt us,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “This was a big game for us. We really needed this one.”

The Phillies went ahead 2-1 in the second. Ryan Howard led off with a double off the scoreboard in right-center. Raul Ibanez followed with a double to right-center to tie it. He advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Brown’s sacrifice fly.

Ibanez singled and scored on a double by Carlos Ruiz in the fourth that gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead.

The Reds jumped ahead 1-0 on an RBI single by Rolen in the first. Votto hit a double to left with two outs and scored on Rolen’s bloop hit to right.

Stubbs threw out Jimmy Rollins trying to score from second on Chase Utley’s single to center in the third. Rollins, who doubled, got a bad jump off second and was out by several feet. He didn’t even slide. It was Utley’s first hit of the season. He returned to the lineup Monday after missing the first 46 games with a knee injury.

Notes: Phillies RHP Jose Contreras threw two scoreless innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’s expected to come off the disabled list this week. Contreras has five saves and hasn’t allowed a run this season, but he’s likely to be the setup man for Madson, who is 9 for 9 in save chances. … Since May 3, Ibanez is hitting .375 with 11 extra-base hits and 11 RBI in 20 games. … A crowd of 45,740 was the 163rd straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park, including postseason play. … The Reds had lost nine straight in Philadelphia. … Phillips moved to the No. 2 hole after batting cleanup the past 26 games. … Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo isn’t expected to miss a start after an MRI on Tuesday revealed no serious issues with his back. … Baker said Mike Leake probably will start Friday in place of Edinson Volquez, who was demoted to the minors Monday.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Phillies crumble in the 9th, Reds win

cogeBlibbog — Wed, 25 May 2011 09:26:31 +0000

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – May 24, 2011 (WPVI) —
Jay Bruce hit a tiebreaking, three-run double in the ninth inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 Tuesday night to snap a six-game losing streak.

The Reds had lost eight straight against NL East-leading Philadelphia, including a three-game sweep in last year’s division playoff series.

Bruce came in swinging a hot bat. He had four homers in the last five games and was tied for the NL lead with 12. But he struck out three times and popped out in his first four at-bats before clearing the bases against Ryan Madson (2-1).

Logan Ondrusek (1-0) retired the only batter he faced to get the win. Francisco Cordero finished for his ninth save in 10 tries.

Bruce then ripped a liner to deep right-center to knock in three and give the Reds a 6-3 lead.

It was the Reds’ longest losing streak since they dropped eight in a row from July 28 to Aug. 4, 2009.

Neither starter factored in the decision. Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings in his fourth start. The righty opened the year on the disabled list. Filling in for injured Joe Blanton, Vance Worley allowed two runs and six hits in five innings. He has a 1.59 ERA in three starts.

Ibanez singled and scored on a double by Carlos Ruiz in the fourth that gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead.

The Reds jumped ahead 1-0 on an RBI single by Rolen in the first. Votto hit a double to left with two outs and scored on Rolen’s bloop hit to right.

NOTES: Phillies RHP Jose Contreras threw two scoreless innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’s expected to come off the disabled list this week. Contreras has five saves and hasn’t allowed a run this season, but he’s likely to be the setup man for Madson, who is 9 for 9 in save chances. … Since May 3, Ibanez is hitting .375 with 11 extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in 20 games. … A crowd of 45,740 was the 163rd straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park, including postseason play. … The Reds had lost nine straight in Philadelphia. … Phillips moved to the No. 2 hole after batting cleanup the last 26 games. … Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo isn’t expected to miss a start after an MRI on Tuesday revealed no serious issues with his back. … Reds manager Dusty Baker said Mike Leake probably will start Friday in place of Edinson Volquez, who was demoted to the minors Monday.

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Cincinnati Reds fall to Pittsburgh Pirates

vanyparty — Fri, 20 May 2011 16:00:00 +0000

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds were having a marvelous homestand, until the (usually) lowly Pittsburgh Pirates showed up.

Jay Bruce hit two solo homers Thursday, but the Pirates beat the Reds 5-3. With the loss, Cincinnati fell out of first place in the NL Central.

Cincinnati had been 5-0 on the homestand with sweeps against St. Louis and the Chicago Cubs. The Reds then were swept in two games against the Pirates and are 1-5 against them this year.

“It shows that in the big leagues, anybody can beat you, no matter who they are or where they are in the standings,” Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. “They’ve had some well-pitched games against us.”

The Reds are a half-game behind St. Louis, which beat Houston 4-2 on Thursday.

Cincinnati was outscored 10-3 by Pittsburgh. Entering the series, the perennially rebuilding Pirates stood fourth in the NL Central and were 6 1/2 games behind the Reds.

Cincinnati had an uneven day that included a throwing error and some baserunning mistakes, but Baker said Pittsburgh starter James McDonald (3-3) was the difference. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound right-hander allowed only one run in 6 2/3 innings.

“He had his control, he kept the ball down, and he was locating and throwing his breaking ball for strikes,” Baker said.

“He pitched well,” said Bruce, who hit one of his two homers against McDonald. “He kept his fastball down for the most part, and he elevated when he wanted to. He made pitches when he needed to.”

Reds starter Johnny Cueto (2-1) was the loser for the first time in three starts since returning from the disabled list. The Pirates scored three runs against Cueto in the fifth inning, the first earned runs he’s allowed in 18 1/3 innings this year.

Cueto lasted five innings, having thrown 94 pitches. The total was elevated by a 31-pitch second inning, when he escaped a bases-loaded jam.

“Johnny was pretty good,” Baker said. “He had a lot of pitches in the second inning, and that kind of did him in.”

Cueto said his problem Thursday was keeping his shoulder squared to home plate, as he threw only 58 strikes.

“I was flying open every time I was throwing,” Cueto said through a translator. “That’s why I was missing my spots and getting behind in the count a lot.”

Bruce homered to center to put Cinicnnati ahead 1-0 in the second inning. Bruce was back in the lineup after being scratched Wednesday by a cold.

“I felt better today, just trying to get some energy back, but, obviously, I wish we’d have won,” Bruce said. “The Pirates have given us a tough time this year.”

Cueto allowed an RBI single by Xavier Paul in the fifth as Pittsburgh tied it at 1. Neil Walker’s two-run double later in the inning made it 3-1.

Ryan Doumit put the Pirates up 4-1 with a solo homer in the sixth inning against reliever Jordan Smith.

Andrew McCutchen hit an RBI double in the eighth against Nick Masset to make it 5-1. Joey Votto’s RBI single in the eighth cut the Reds’ deficit to 5-2.

Bruce’s second homer, an opposite-field shot to left, brought Cincinnati to 5-3 to start the ninth. Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan allowed Bruce’s homer, then retired the next three hitters to get the save.

The Reds visit AL Central leader Cleveland today to begin their longest road trip of the year, a 10-day, 10-game trek. After three games in Cleveland, Cincinnati plays four in Philadelphia and three in Atlanta. The Reds return home May 30 against Milwaukee.

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Cincinnati Reds fall to Pittsburgh Pirates

MikeWink — Fri, 20 May 2011 16:00:00 +0000