CINCINNATI, Sept. 20 (UPI) — Homer Bailey held the Astros to two runs over seven innings and the Cincinnati Reds pounded out 14 hits Tuesday in their 6-4 victory over Houston.

Bailey (9-7) yielded six hits, walked two and struck out five for Cincinnati, allowing only J.D. Martinez’s two-run homer in the third inning en route to his second win in three starts.

The Reds’ bullpen surrendered a pair of runs but Francisco Cordero nailed down the win, earning his 34th save with a scoreless ninth.

Jay Bruce went 3-for-5 with a two-run single while Brandon Phillips and Devin Mesoraco each homered for the Reds.

Houston’s Bud Norris (6-11) was saddled with the loss, surrendering three runs on seven hits over just 2 2/3 frames.

Martinez finished 3-for-5 and Chris Johnson added a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the eighth for the Astros.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jay Bruce hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning that lifted the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-6 win over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night.

Joey Votto led off the 11th against James Russell (1-6) with a double to left-center field. Bruce connected on the next pitch for his 31st homer of the season, giving the Reds their third straight win over Chicago after losing the opener of the four-game series.

Nick Masset (3-5) pitched the 11th for the win.

The Cubs handed Francisco Cordero his first blown save since July 10 by scoring twice in the ninth to make it 6-all. Tony Campana led off with a pinch-hit single and scored on pinch-hitter Alfonso Soriano’s double. One out later, Darwin Barney chopped a tying single.

Cordero had successfully converted 16 consecutive save opportunities since the All-Star break.

Reds starter Homer Bailey, who hadn’t allowed more than two home runs in any of his previous 19 starts this season, gave up a pair in a span of four batters in the first inning.

Aramis Ramirez singled with two outs and Carlos Pena followed with his 28th home run of the season, a majestic 461-foot drive on a 3-2 pitch that landed in a party area on top of the center field batter’s eye.

Bryan LaHair kept the inning going with a single to center, extending his career-opening hitting streak to nine games, and Marlon Byrd hit the first pitch 414 feet into the Cincinnati bullpen in left-center field.

Bailey settled down and lasted six innings, giving up six hits and four runs with three walks and nine strikeouts, matching his season high.

Brandon Phillips hit his 16th home run, and fourth of the four-game series, in the third to cut Chicago’s lead to 4-1. Chris Heisey hit his 17th homer, and second in two nights, in the Reds fourth.

The Reds scored three times in the fifth. Bailey started the rally with a one-out single. Phillips doubled and Drew Stubbs hit an RBI single just over the glove of a leaping Starlin Castro at shortstop.

Votto walked to load the bases, and Wells walked Yonder Alonso to force in the tying run. Jeff Samardzija relieved Wells and got Heisey to hit a sharp one-hopper that glanced off the pitcher’s foot to Castro, whose throw to first wasn’t in time, allowing Stubbs to score the go-ahead run.

The Reds reached Randy Wells for seven hits and five runs with two walks and three strikeouts in 4 1-3 innings. He also threw a wild pitch.

The Reds added a run in the sixth when Paul Janish drew a leadoff walk, moved to third on Stubbs’ two-out single and scored on reliever John Gaub’s wild pitch.

NOTES: Soriano’s double was the 400th of his career. … Reds RHP Bronson Arroyo, scheduled to start against Milwaukee in Friday’s series opener, is coming off the shortest start of his career. He failed to get an out in the second inning of Cincinnati’s 12-7 loss Saturday at Colorado. … Cubs RHP Matt Garza is 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA over his last three starts going into his appearance Friday against Houston at Chicago.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

CARDINALS vs. CINCINNATI REDS

At Busch Stadium, St. Louis

Scouting report — This is the start of a
10-day, nine-game trip that takes the Reds from Busch to Wrigley
Field and then out west for a weekend against the Colorado Rockies.
… Tonight’s starter, Johnny Cueto, leads the National League with
a 2.05 ERA. He would be the first Cincy starter to lead the league
in ERA since 1944. … The Reds promoted eight September callups
from Class AAA Louisville. The group included top prospects Devin
Mesoraco, a catcher, and Juan Francisco, a third baseman. Edinson
Volquez and Travis Wood, two former major leaguers, are also
earmarked for promotions from Triple A. … Cincy closer Francisco
Cordero has converted a dozen consecutive saves since the All-Star
break. … Scott Rolen remains on the disabled list after requiring
shoulder surgery on Aug. 3 to remove bone spurs and loose
fragments. … Dusty Baker is eight wins shy of tying Hall of Famer
Earl Weaver for 21st all-time.

Projected pitching matchups:

Today, 7:15 p.m. — RH Chris Carpenter (8-9,
3.76 ERA) vs. RH Johnny Cueto (9-5, 2.05)

Saturday, 3:10 p.m. — LH Jaime Garcia (10-7,
3.73) vs. RH Homer Bailey (7-6, 4.35)

Sunday, 1:15 p.m. — RH Edwin Jackson (4-2,
3.57) vs. RH Bronson Arroyo (8-11, 5.13)

Derrick Goold

CINCINNATI, Aug. 13 (UPI) — Miguel Cairo and Ryan Hanigan each hit two home runs Saturday and the Cincinnati Reds went deep seven times in their 13-1 romp over San Diego.

Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier also homered for the Reds, who banged out 13 hits as they clinched their three-game series against the Padres at Great American Ball Park.

Homer Bailey (7-5) collected the victory, surrendering only one run and on six hits over seven innings while issuing one walk and striking out seven.

San Diego’s Tim Stauffer (7-9) lasted just three three frames, coughing up nine runs on seven hits.

Kyle Blanks’ solo homer provided the Padres’ only run.

Carlos Gonzalez’s two-run homer — Colorado’s fourth overall — broke an eighth-inning tie and sent the Rockies to a 10-7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night in a game that featured a long rain delay and seven homers in all.

Seth Smith hit a pair of two-run homers for the Rockies, the fifth multihomer game of his career. Gonzalez snapped a 7-all tie with the first homer allowed by left-hander Bill Bray (2-2) this season. Todd Helton also homered.

Matt Belisle (6-4) pitched out of a threat in the seventh and Huston Street worked the ninth for his 29th save in 32 chances.

Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs and Brandon Phillips homered for the Reds, who have lost five of seven.

Colorado’s four homers matched its season high and the seven homers combined accounted for 15 of the 17 runs scored.

Bruce got it started with a three-run homer in the first inning off Jason Hammel, his first since July 9.

Smith hit a pair of two-run homers off Reds starter Homer Bailey, putting the Rockies up 5-3. Manager Dusty Baker decided not to bring Bailey back following a 1-hour, 34-minute rain delay in the middle of the third inning — the first this season at Great American Ball Park.

Manager Jim Tracy chose to let Hammel return after the long delay, a move that quickly backfired. Bruce singled home a run in the third, and Stubbs hit a two-run homer for a 6-5 lead.

The rain returned from time to time, though not heavy enough to stop the game again.

The homers kept coming, too.

Helton hit a two-run shot in the fifth for a 7-6 lead. The Reds tied it in the seventh on Phillips’ second career pinch-hit homer. The second baseman was out of the lineup for the second straight day with a sore right ankle, but hit the first pitch from Rex Brothers into the upper deck in left field.

Gonzalez’s 16th homer put the Rockies ahead again. Mark Ellis doubled home a run in the ninth.

Notes: Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki had his fifth straight multihit game. … Smith has excelled in Ohio this year. He also had a pair of homers on June 21 in Cleveland. … The Reds had 1B Yonder Alonso take grounders at 3B before the game and plan to use him there at some point. … Colorado’s Esmil Rogers makes his first career start against the Reds on Tuesday. He made two relief appearances against Cincinnati last season, giving up a run in three innings. … Rogers is coming off his first career win at Coors Field, 6-3 over Washington. … LHP Dontrelle Willis tries to get that elusive first win for Cincinnati on Tuesday. He’s made five starts for the Reds and had the bullpen blow save chances in three of them, leaving him 0-1. … Willis homered in Houston in his last start. He has hit safely in all five starts.

Brandon Phillips had a pair of run-scoring doubles, and Todd Frazier doubled with the bases loaded as Cincinnati pulled away.

Homer Bailey (5-4) threw 53 pitches in the first two innings, but made it through six on a 92-degree afternoon. Lowe’s bases-loaded double drove in a pair in the second.

The Reds scored seven runs in the seventh, matching their season high. It was the most runs off Atlanta’s staff in an inning this season.

Reds 11, Braves 2

Atlanta 020 000 000 – 2 6 0

Cincinnati 100 003 70x – 11 13 1

Atlanta AB   R   H   BI   BB   SO   Avg.   

 Prado 3b 4   0   0   0   1   0   .277   

Heyward rf 5   0   1   0   0   0   .227   

McCann c 4   0   0   0   0   2   .307   

D.Ross c 0   0   0   0   0   0   .288   

Freeman 1b 4   0   1   0   0   0   .279   

Uggla 2b 3   1   1   0   0   0   .196   

Hinske lf 3   1   0   0   1   2   .256   

Ale.Gonzalez ss 4   0   1   0   0   1   .227   

McLouth cf 3   0   1   0   1   1   .223   

D.Lowe p 2   0   1   2   0   0   .216   

Sherrill p 0   0   0   0   0   0   —   

Proctor p 0   0   0   0   0   0   —   

C.Martinez p 0   0   0   0   0   0   .250   

c-Conrad ph 1   0   0   0   0   1   .227   

Totals 33   2   6   2   3   7   

Cincinnati AB   R   H   BI   BB   SO   Avg.   

ATLANTA (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds have called up left-hander Jeremy Horst from Triple-A Louisville before Saturday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves.

The 25-year-old Horst had a 1.73 ERA in 12 relief appearances for Louisville. He has never pitched in the major leagues.

Horst is the second Louisville pitcher to join the Reds in two days. Mike Leake was recalled and earned the win on Friday night.

Right-hander Homer Bailey was placed on the disabled list with a sprained right shoulder, retroactive to Friday. Right-hander Daryl Thompson, who gave up five runs in three innings in his only appearance with Cincinnati, was optioned to Double-A Carolina.

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