Miguel Cairo singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning Friday night, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals.

CINCINNATI – Miguel Cairo singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning Friday night, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals in a game delayed because some of the lights went out.

Cairo’s single to the gap in left-center was the third straight hit off Colin Balester (1-2).

A bank of lights behind first base went out in the top of the seventh. The umpires talked to both managers and decided to continue. The game was halted when another light bank went dark in the eighth, prompting a 17-minute delay.

Washington’s Wilson Ramos hit a three-run homer off left-hander Dontrelle Willis, who remained winless despite matching his career high with three hits. Francisco Cordero (5-3) escaped a scoring threat in the ninth.

Brandon Phillips had a pair of run-scoring singles on a night when the postgame fireworks were dedicated to his musical tastes. Todd Frazier tied it with a run-scoring single in the seventh off reliever Tom Gorzelanny.

Willis threw 123 pitches and had the 15th multihit game of his career, but couldn’t get a win. The left-hander has become the Reds’ hard-luck pitcher. The bullpen has blown a save in three of his starts. Plus, he gets the worst run support on the staff.

Left fielder Jonny Gomes returned for the first time since the Reds traded him for two minor leaguers on July 26, the only deal that the defending NL Central champions made before the non-waiver deadline. He singled, walked, struck out and ground out.

The Reds dedicated their Friday night fireworks to Phillips, using his favorite summer tunes as the soundtrack. The second baseman got the 35,089 fans cheering with an RBI single in the second, when shortstop Ian Desmond’s fielding error set up the unearned run. Phillips also singled home a run in the sixth.

Willis walked a season-high five batters, giving the Nationals plenty of chances. It was familiar for the Nationals, who arrived in a hitting slump – a total of three runs while dropping their last three games. They were 1 for 16 with runners in scoring position during an 8-1 loss to Arizona on Thursday night.

They had only one hit in 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position on Friday night – Ramos’ homer in the fourth inning for a 3-1 lead. His 11 homers are the most in one season by a Nationals catcher.

NOTES: The Nationals placed RH reliever Ryan Mattheus on the 15-day DL with a strained pitching shoulder. A corresponding move is expected on Saturday. … The Reds activated RH reliever Logan Ondrusek off the 15-day DL and optioned LHP Travis Wood to the minors. … RH Mike Leake was the last Reds pitcher to get three hits in a game. He did it July 9, 2010 at Philadelphia. … After their weekend series in Cincinnati, the Nationals go to Atlanta for three more games, avoiding Hurricane Irene. … LHP Ross Detwiler starts Saturday for the Nationals. He ended a three-game losing streak on Monday by beating Arizona 4-1. … Leake tries to become the Reds’ first 11-game winner on Saturday. He’s 2-1 in three career starts against the Nationals.

“I had a chance two innings before, but I didn’t swing at strikes,” said Cairo, who got into the game as a pinch hitter. “I said I’m only going to swing at strikes because when I swing at strikes, I’ve got a chance. He got it over the plate, and I hit it good.”

Cairo’s single to the gap in left-center was the third straight hit off Colin Balester (1-2), sending the Nationals to their fourth straight loss. Cairo is batting .333 off the bench.

“He’s unbelievable,” manager Dusty Baker said. “We try to get him at-bats so he’s ready for situations like that. He’s been lights out.”

Actually, the lights started going out in the top of the seventh, when a bank of them failed behind first base. The umpires talked to both managers and decided to continue.

The game was halted when another light bank went dark in the eighth as hard-throwing left-hander Aroldis Chapman warmed up, prompting a 17-minute delay until they could be restored.

“I’ve seen lights-out problems before,” Nationals manager Davey Johnson said. “That was kind of weird tonight.”

Washington’s Wilson Ramos hit a three-run homer off left-hander Dontrelle Willis, who remained winless despite matching his career high with three hits. Francisco Cordero (5-3) escaped a scoring threat in the ninth.

Brandon Phillips had a pair of run-scoring singles on a night when the postgame fireworks were dedicated to his musical tastes. Todd Frazier tied it with a run-scoring single in the seventh off reliever Tom Gorzelanny.

Willis threw 123 pitches and had the 15th multihit game of his career, but couldn’t get a win. The left-hander has become the Reds’ hard-luck pitcher. The bullpen has blown a save in three of his starts. Plus, he gets the worst run support on the staff.

“That’s all you can ask for,” said Willis, who is 0-2 with a 4.10 ERA. “I’m not really concerned about victories. They come in spurts. I like the way I’m throwing the ball and competing.”

Left fielder Jonny Gomes returned for the first time since the Reds traded him for two minor leaguers on July 26, the only deal that the defending NL Central champions made before the non-waiver deadline. He singled, walked, struck out and ground out.

The Reds dedicated their Friday night fireworks to Phillips, using his favorite summer tunes as the soundtrack. The second baseman got the 35,089 fans cheering with an RBI single in the second, when shortstop Ian Desmond’s fielding error set up the unearned run. Phillips also singled home a run in the sixth.

Willis walked a season-high five batters, giving the Nationals plenty of chances. It was familiar for the Nationals, who arrived in a hitting slump — a total of three runs while dropping their last three games. They were 1 for 16 with runners in scoring position during an 8-1 loss to Arizona on Thursday night.

They had only one hit in 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position on Friday night — Wilson Ramos’ homer in the fourth inning for a 3-1 lead. His 11 homers are the most in one season by a Nationals catcher.

NOTES: The Nationals placed RH reliever Ryan Mattheus on the 15-day DL with a strained pitching shoulder. A corresponding move is expected on Saturday. … The Reds activated RH reliever Logan Ondrusek off the 15-day DL and optioned LHP Travis Wood to the minors. … RH Mike Leake was the last Reds pitcher to get three hits in a game. He did it July 9, 2010 at Philadelphia. … After their weekend series in Cincinnati, the Nationals go to Atlanta for three more games, avoiding Hurricane Irene. … LHP Ross Detwiler starts Saturday for the Nationals. He ended a three-game losing streak on Monday by beating Arizona 4-1. … Leake tries to become the Reds’ first 11-game winner on Saturday. He’s 2-1 in three career starts against the Nationals.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Joey Votto #19 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated by teammate Jay Bruce #32 after hitting a two-run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Reds 11, Pirates 8

PITTSBURGH — Joey Votto hit his 21st homer of the season and later scored the game-winning run in the top of the ninth to lead the Cincinnati Reds past the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-8 on Friday night.

Brandon Phillips went 3 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs for Cincinnati, which let a four-run lead slip away. Ryan Hanigan added a solo shot and drove in two insurance runs in the ninth as the Reds beat the Pirates for just the third time in 10 tries.

Travis Wood (6-5) picked up the win in relief. Francisco Cordero pitched a perfect ninth inning to collect his 25th save.

Pittsburgh closer Joel Hanrahan (0-2) took the loss, giving up three runs while getting just one out in the ninth after entering with the score tied.

Cubs 5, Cardinals 4

CHICAGO — Tyler Colvin’s RBI single in the 10th inning off Octavio Dotel lifted the Chicago Cubs to a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.

Geovany Soto led off the 10th with a single off Dotel (0-2), advanced to second on Marlon Byrd’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on Colvin’s hit to centre field just hours after the Cubs fired general manager Jim Hendry.

Soto also had a game-tying RBI double in the eighth inning. Darwin Barney homered and tripled, and Starlin Castro added two hits for the Cubs. Sean Marshall (6-5) pitched a perfect 10th to earn the win.

Chicago beat the rival Cardinals for just the third time in 10 games this season, delighting a home crowd of 42,343 — the largest at Wrigley Field since the home opener in 1978.

Yadier Molina hit a two-run homer for the Cardinals, and David Freese added a solo shot.

Braves 4, Diamondbacks 2

ATLANTA — The Braves did all their scoring with the long ball and Derek Lowe combined with four relievers on a six-hitter, leading Atlanta past the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 Friday night in a matchup of NL playoff contenders.

Michael Bourn led off the bottom of the first with his first homer since being traded to the Braves last month. Brian McCann added a two-run shot in the third, and Chipper Jones extended the lead with his second homer in two nights.

Lowe (7-11) turned in his best effort in nearly two months, allowing four hits and striking out seven over the first five innings. Eric O’Flaherty gave up a two-run double to Justin Upton in the seventh, but Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his 38th save.

Daniel Hudson (12-9) took the loss.

Astros 6, Giants 0

HOUSTON — Wandy Rodriguez pitched eight innings and had a two-run single to lead the Houston Astros to a 6-0 victory over the slumping San Francisco Giants on Friday night.

The Astros were leading 2-0 in the sixth inning when Carlos Corporan hit an RBI single with two outs and Rodriguez followed with a long single down the right field line on the first pitch from Ryan Vogelsong (10-3).

The Giants have lost 15 of their last 21 games, including four of five.

The Astros won their third straight game. Houston had not won more than two straight games since it had a four-game run May 30-June 2, the longest streak of the season.

Rodriguez (9-9) allowed five hits, struck out eight and walked two. It was his third eight-inning performance of the season.

Dodgers 8, Rockies 2

DENVER — Hiroki Kuroda pitched six strong innings for his first career win against the Rockies, Rod Barajas and Tony Gwynn each hit home runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Colorado 8-2 on Friday night.

The last three innings of the game were played in a light rain and included the ejection of the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp in the ninth by first base umpire Ted Barrett. The umpire ruled Kemp had gone around for a third strike rather than checked his swing and Kemp had registered his disagreement by standing at the plate in a show of disbelief before slowly walking back toward the dugout.

Kuroda (9-14) had entered 0-5 with a 5.81 ERA in nine previous starts against the Rockies, one of two National League teams he had not beaten during his four-year major league career.

Nationals 8, Phillies 4

WASHINGTON — Ryan Zimmerman hit a grand slam on a full count with two outs in the bottom of the ninth Friday night, capping a six-run inning and lifting the Washington Nationals to an improbable 8-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Nationals were trailing 4-2 and were facing Ryan Madson (3-2), but they sent eight men to the plate against the formidable closer. It was only fitting that Zimmerman had the last word, hitting the eighth game-ending home run of his career, as well as his third grand slam.

Brewers 6, Mets 1

NEW YORK — Prince Fielder hit a pair of RBI singles and then confronted Mets reliever Tim Byrdak after an inside pitch, and the streaking Milwaukee Brewers waited out a rain delay of nearly three hours before beating the lost-at-home New York Mets 6-1 Friday night.

Shaun Marcum pitched the Brewers to their 20th win in 23 games, giving them a season-high 7 ½-game lead in the NL Central. They closed out this testy victory at 12:51 a.m.

The Mets, meanwhile, set a most dubious record. They became the first team in major league history to lose the opening game in their first 10 homestands of a season, STATS LLC said.

Padres 4, Marlins 3

SAN DIEGO — Kyle Blanks hit a two-run homer and made a great catch in left field, lifting the San Diego Padres to a 4-3 win over the reeling Florida Marlins on Friday night.

Blanks crushed a ball into the second deck in left field to put the Padres ahead to stay 3-2 in the fourth inning. The 6-foot-6 Blanks also made a running catch to rob Gaby Sanchez of an extra- base hit in the fifth inning.

The Padres handed Florida its 13th loss in 15 games. San Diego won fifth straight over the Marlins this season, outscoring them 30-10.

Wade LeBlanc (2-2) had a shaky outing but the bullpen held the Marlins in check to give San Diego its fourth win in six games after dropping four of the previous six.

Cincinnati’s Jay Bruce hits a three-run home run off Chicago starting pitcher Matt Garza during the fourth inning of Friday’s game. / Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

Written by

Rick Gano

Associated Press

PEORIA, Ariz. —

Dontrelle Willis is making strides as a non-roster invitee with the Cincinnati Reds, trying to regain the form that made him a two-time All-Star.

Willis tossed two perfect innings in relief Friday in a 3-1 win over Seattle.

Kris Negron singled, stole a base, scored and hit a sacrifice fly for the Reds, who won their third straight spring training game. The Mariners have lost three straight.

“All the young kids are looking good,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “Just keep playing.”

Cincinnati scored twice off Mariners starter Doug Fister in the second inning. Ramon Hernandez led off with a double down the left-field line and scored on single by Fred Lewis, who took second on the throw home. He advanced on a groundout and scored on Negron’s sacrifice fly.

Fister struggled again in his second spring start. The right-hander, who was 6-14 last season, has allowed four earned runs on eight hits in 5 total innings.

“Going out there, it was a struggle to get the ball down,” said Fister, who has a 7.20 ERA in spring training. “Trying to get that slider down and in to the right-handers, struggling with it right now. Trying to get location back.

“It’s just fine-tuning,” added Fister, who was 6-14 in 28 starts last season. “It really is just a matter of a couple of tweaks here and there and just a matter of repetition.”

Ichiro Suzuki drove in a run with a sacrifice fly for Seattle. Right-hander Chad Reineke, the Reds’ starter, allowed a run on three hits in three innings.

NOTES: AL Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez will make his first spring start Monday when the Mariners play Oakland in Phoenix. Hernandez has thrown live batting practice and a simulated game so far. … LHP Jason Vargas, bound for the Mariners’ starting rotation, threw a simulated game Friday, his first of spring training. … LHP Aaron Laffey made his Mariners spring debut Friday after arriving in a trade with Cleveland on Wednesday. Laffey gave up a double and hit a batter in a scoreless inning. … The Mariners signed LHP James Paxton, a fourth-round pick in June 2010 who also pitched in the Independent American Association. Paxton will report to camp Saturday. … Reds starters have walked one batter over 16 innings in spring games.