AP Photo/David Kohl

Colorado Rockies’ Seth Smith, right, is congratulated by Ty Wigginton, middle, and Todd Helton, left, after Smith hit his second two-run home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Homer Bailey in the third inning of a baseball game, Monday, Aug. 8, 2011, in Cincinnati.

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.   

Read More: Ubaldo Jimenez (P – COL), Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are interested in trading for Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez, reports Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. The Reds are 45-47 through the first half of the season and could use some pitching help if they want to compete for the NL Central title, which they are four games behind. As Rosenthal points out, the Reds’ interest depends on how well they perform at the start of the second half of the season.

As for the Rockies’ side of things, Homer Bailey, Mike Leake or Travis Wood as a starting piece in any deal would qualify as underwhelming. As Troy Renck reports about these rumors, the Rockies do listen, but it’s probably nothing more than listening. Two of the three pitchers would need to be involved to start any potential deal.

But for now I’d chalk this rumor up to wishful thinking. Even if the Rockies fell way out of contention during the start of the second half, trading Jimenez wouldn’t solve any long term structural problems with the team.

For more on the Rockies head over to Purple Row.

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.

Read More: Homer Bailey (P – CIN), Cincinnati Reds

Earlier in the day, the Cincinnati Reds were contemplating putting Homer Bailey on the disabled list with a shoulder strain, and Jon Morosi confirms what Reds fans were afraid of:

Homer Bailey hits DL with sprained posterior capsule, right shoulder. Mike Leake called up.

Rotoworld says that the MRI was clean, so this isn’t likely to require anything but rest and rehabilitation.

The Reds came into the season with a wealth of starting pitching options, but the problem has been that too many of them have pitched poorly, Leake included. Bailey was fantastic in his five starts in 2011, with a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings, striking out 22 and walking only five batters.

Leake had never pitched in the minor leagues before this season, but his slow start forced the Reds to option him. Though his ERA was bad, his peripheral numbers were just fine, so it’s possible he was mostly unlucky. In triple-A, though, he was hammered in two appearances, allowing eight runs in 7-1/3 innings.