Chris Heisey and the Cincinnati Reds finally got a couple of big hits against the Philadelphia Phillies.

It was too late to stop an embarrassing four-game sweep.

Heisey came off the disabled list and hit a three-run homer, but Ryan Howard went deep to lead Philadelphia to a 6-4 victory Thursday.

“Everybody’s playing well,” Howard said. “Atlanta’s playing well. Milwaukee’s playing well. The way I see it, we need to keep our foot on the gas and not let up.”

Mike Leake (11-9) gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings for Cincinnati, which had won six of seven coming into the series. Leake struck out six and walked one.

“Leake threw the ball pretty good,” Baker said. “They got a some bloops and infield hits.”

Philadelphia got to Leake for three runs in the second inning. Brian Schneider, pitcher Vance Worley and Shane Victorino each had an RBI single.

“I was falling behind,” Leake said. “I wasn’t attacking like I did the rest of the game.”

It could have been worse for the Reds but centre fielder Drew Stubbs cut down Schneider when he tried to score on Worley’s bouncer up the middle.

“There is a big-time small margin for error against them,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “If you don’t take advantage of chances which are rare, you don’t have much of a chance. They rarely help you out with a walk. They pound the strike zone and throw quality strikes.”

Elsewhere in the NL it was: St. Louis 8 Milwaukee 4; Los Angeles 6 Pittsburgh 4; Atlanta 5 Washington 2; and New York 7 Florida 5.

At Cincinnati, the Reds snapped their streak of consecutive scoreless innings at 21 in the bottom half. Brandon Phillips doubled to left, advanced to third on Edgar Renteria’s groundout to shortstop and scored on Toronto native Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly to centre.

Worley (10-1) allowed four runs and eight hits, struck out seven and walked one. The first six of his Ks came on called third strikes, most of them on sinkers, he said.

The Phillies improved to 15-2 in Worley’s 17 starts this season and have won each of his last 13, their longest streak since they won a club-record 15 consecutive Steve Carlton starts in 1972.

Worley was cruising before the Reds opened their seventh with three consecutive hits. Stubbs doubled and Ryan Hanigan singled before pinch-hitter Heisey hit an opposite-field drive to right to get Cincinnati within two.

Heisey was activated from the disabled list before the game. He had been out since Aug. 7 with a strained left oblique.

Michael Martinez hit a two-run homer to help the Phillies (87-46) move 41 games over .500 for the first time since Aug. 26, 1976, when they improved to 83-42 with a win at Cincinnati. It was Philadelphia’s first four-game sweep at Cincinnati since May 13-16, 1916.

Martinez’s third homer landed in the fourth row of right-field seats in the seventh, giving the Phillies a 6-1 lead. It came against Jared Burton, who was making his first appearance of the year.

“What really hurt was the home run by Martinez,” Baker said. “Heisey hit that big home run to make it close. We missed Heisey, big time.”

Philadelphia won seven of eight games against the Reds this season to improve to 30-12 against them over the last six seasons.

Howard hit a solo shot to left-centre on a 3-1 pitch from Leake in the sixth, giving Philadelphia a 4-1 lead and extending his streak of consecutive seasons with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs to six.

Cardinals 8 Brewers 4

At Milwaukee, Albert Pujols hit a grand slam and a solo homer, helping St. Louis beat the Brewers to complete a three-game sweep against the NL Central leaders.

—

Dodgers 6 Pirates 4

At Pittsburgh, Dana Eveland pitched eight crisp innings and the surging Dodgers survived a shaky ninth inning to get the win.

—

Braves 5 Nationals 2

At Atlanta, Tim Hudson gave the Braves’ ailing rotation a lift and the Braves got home runs from Brian McCann and Chipper Jones.

—

Mets 7 Marlins 5

At New York, Miguel Batista pitched six serviceable innings to earn his 100th win, and David Wright hit a two-run single in a four-run third against the bumbling Marlins.

CINCINNATI —

Chris Heisey and the Cincinnati Reds finally got a couple of big hits against the Philadelphia Phillies. And it was too late to stop an embarrassing four-game sweep.

Heisey came off the disabled list and hit a three-run homer, but Ryan Howard went deep to lead Philadelphia to a 6-4 victory Thursday.

“There is a big-time small margin for error against them,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “If you don’t take advantage of chances which are rare, you don’t have much of a chance. They rarely help you out with a walk. They pound the strike zone and throw quality strikes.”

Mike Leake (11-9) gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings for Cincinnati, which had won six of seven coming into the series. Leake struck out six and walked one.

“Leake threw the ball pretty good,” Baker said. “They got a some bloops and infield hits.”

Philadelphia got to Leake for three runs in the second inning. Brian Schneider, pitcher Vance Worley and Shane Victorino each had an RBI single.

“I was falling behind,” Leake said. “I wasn’t attacking like I did the rest of the game.”

It could have been worse for the Reds but center fielder Drew Stubbs cut down Schneider when he tried to score on Worley’s bouncer up the middle.

The Reds snapped their streak of consecutive scoreless innings at 21 in the bottom half. Brandon Phillips doubled to left, advanced to third on Edgar Renteria’s groundout to shortstop and scored on Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly to center.

Worley (10-1) allowed four runs and eight hits, struck out seven and walked one. The first six of his Ks came on called third strikes, most of them on sinkers, he said.

The Phillies improved to 15-2 in Worley’s 17 starts this season and have won each of his last 13, their longest streak since they won a club-record 15 consecutive Steve Carlton starts in 1972.

Worley was cruising before the Reds opened their seventh with three consecutive hits. Stubbs doubled and Ryan Hanigan singled before pinch-hitter Heisey hit an opposite-field drive to right to get Cincinnati within two.

Heisey was activated from the disabled list before the game. He had been out since Aug. 7 with a strained left oblique.

Michael Martinez hit a two-run homer to help the Phillies (87-46) move 41 games over .500 for the first time since Aug. 26, 1976, when they improved to 83-42 with a win at Cincinnati. It was Philadelphia’s first four-game sweep at Cincinnati since May 13-16, 1916.

Martinez’s third homer landed in the fourth row of right-field seats in the seventh, giving the Phillies a 6-1 lead. It came against Jared Burton, who was making his first appearance of the year.

“What really hurt was the home run by Martinez,” Baker said. “Heisey hit that big home run to make it close. We missed Heisey, big time.”

Philadelphia won seven of eight games against the Reds this season to improve to 30-12 against them over the last six seasons.

Howard hit a solo shot to left-center on a 3-1 pitch from Leake in the sixth, giving Philadelphia a 4-1 lead and extending his streak of consecutive seasons with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs to six.

NOTES: The Reds promoted INFs Juan Francisco and Chris Valaika, RHPs Jared Burton and Carlos Fisher, LHPs Jeremy Horst and Matt Maloney and C Devin Mesoraco from Triple-A Louisville before the game. OF Fred Lewis cleared waivers and was outrighted to Louisville. … The Reds left after the game for their second consecutive 10-day, nine-game road trip, starting with three in St. Louis. NL ERA-leader Johnny Cueto, coming off a career-high 11-strikeout performance on Sunday, is Cincinnati’s scheduled starter on Friday. … The Phillies headed to Florida for a three-game series with the Marlins. RHP Roy Oswalt, a 6-5 loser to Florida last Friday, is scheduled to start for Philadelphia.

“There is a big-time small margin for error against them,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “If you don’t take advantage of chances which are rare, you don’t have much of a chance. They rarely help you out with a walk. They pound the strike zone and throw quality strikes.”

Mike Leake (11-9) gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings for Cincinnati, which had won six of seven coming into the series. Leake struck out six and walked one.

“Leake threw the ball pretty good,” Baker said. “They got a some bloops and infield hits.”

Philadelphia got to Leake for three runs in the second inning. Brian Schneider, pitcher Vance Worley and Shane Victorino each had an RBI single.

“I was falling behind,” Leake said. “I wasn’t attacking like I did the rest of the game.”

It could have been worse for the Reds but center fielder Drew Stubbs cut down Schneider when he tried to score on Worley’s bouncer up the middle.

The Reds snapped their streak of consecutive scoreless innings at 21 in the bottom half. Brandon Phillips doubled to left, advanced to third on Edgar Renteria’s groundout to shortstop and scored on Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly to center.

Worley (10-1) allowed four runs and eight hits, struck out seven and walked one. The first six of his Ks came on called third strikes, most of them on sinkers, he said.

The Phillies improved to 15-2 in Worley’s 17 starts this season and have won each of his last 13, their longest streak since they won a club-record 15 consecutive Steve Carlton starts in 1972.

Worley was cruising before the Reds opened their seventh with three consecutive hits. Stubbs doubled and Ryan Hanigan singled before pinch-hitter Heisey hit an opposite-field drive to right to get Cincinnati within two.

Heisey was activated from the disabled list before the game. He had been out since Aug. 7 with a strained left oblique.

Michael Martinez hit a two-run homer to help the Phillies (87-46) move 41 games over .500 for the first time since Aug. 26, 1976, when they improved to 83-42 with a win at Cincinnati. It was Philadelphia’s first four-game sweep at Cincinnati since May 13-16, 1916.

Martinez’s third homer landed in the fourth row of right-field seats in the seventh, giving the Phillies a 6-1 lead. It came against Jared Burton, who was making his first appearance of the year.

“What really hurt was the home run by Martinez,” Baker said. “Heisey hit that big home run to make it close. We missed Heisey, big time.”

Philadelphia won seven of eight games against the Reds this season to improve to 30-12 against them over the last six seasons.

Howard hit a solo shot to left-center on a 3-1 pitch from Leake in the sixth, giving Philadelphia a 4-1 lead and extending his streak of consecutive seasons with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs to six.

NOTES: The Reds promoted INFs Juan Francisco and Chris Valaika, RHPs Jared Burton and Carlos Fisher, LHPs Jeremy Horst and Matt Maloney and C Devin Mesoraco from Triple-A Louisville before the game. OF Fred Lewis cleared waivers and was outrighted to Louisville. … The Reds left after the game for their second consecutive 10-day, nine-game road trip, starting with three in St. Louis. NL ERA-leader Johnny Cueto, coming off a career-high 11-strikeout performance on Sunday, is Cincinnati’s scheduled starter on Friday. … The Phillies headed to Florida for a three-game series with the Marlins. RHP Roy Oswalt, a 6-5 loser to Florida last Friday, is scheduled to start for Philadelphia.

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

CINCINNATI — The Reds couldn’t touch ‘em again. Nothing new there. Whenever Cincinnati’s hitters dig in against the Phillies, they look bad and come away feeling that way, too. They managed only six hits while getting shut out by Philadelphia for the second straight game, 3-0 on Wednesday night. Cliff Lee came within one out of a complete game shutout, leaving with the bases loaded in the ninth. Ryan Madson got pinch-hitter Yonder Alonso on a foul pop to finish it. It’s getting old in Cincinnati. The Reds entered the series on a hot streak, winning four straight. They ran into an old problem — they can’t do anything against the Phillies’ pitching. The Phillies swept them in the playoffs last season, with Roy Halladay throwing a no-hitter. Philadelphia is 20-6 against Cincinnati lately, including 6-1 this season. And there’s no wondering why. “When you have pitching like they do, every run they score is huge,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “Their pitching staff gets paid what our whole payroll is. They earn their money.” He was exaggerating — slightly — about the payroll.Philadelphia’s top four starters — Lee, Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt — make $56.5 million this season. Cincinnati’s opening day payroll was $76 million. Right now, they are worlds apart. The NL East leaders are a season-best 40 games over .500, boasting the majors’ best record at 86-46. The Reds have slipped back below .500. Lee (15-7) extended the Phillies’ domination, winning his sixth consecutive start. He retired the first two batters in the ninth, gave up a double by Joey Votto, walked Jay Bruce and hit Miguel Cairo with his 117th pitch, prompting manager Charlie Manuel to let Madson finish it off. “Lee had control of all his pitches,” Baker said. Hunter Pence homered off left-hander Dontrelle Willis (0-4), the Reds’ hard-luck starter who couldn’t get a break again. Philadelphia scored in the first inning when the Reds failed to turn a double play with two runners aboard. Pence led off the sixth with his 18th homer, extending his hitting streak to seven games. Philadelphia scored another run on a forceout in the seventh. No matter how well he pitches or hits, Willis can’t get a win.He gets the lowest run support among Reds starters, and the bullpen has blown save chances in three of his starts. He gave up five hits in 6 2-3 innings. “Guys on the other side of the diamond are pitching well,” Willis said. “So I’m not frustrated. I like being in those type of games anyway.” Notes: Lee was loudly booed in the fourth, when he grounded to second baseman Brandon Phillips, took a couple steps toward first, waved his right hand and headed back to the dugout. … Phillips’ hitting streak ended at 13 games, the longest by a Red this season…. SS Paul Janish extended his career-worst slump to 0 for 26….The Phillies have won all seven of their four-game series this season. They have never had a four-game sweep in Cincinnati…. The Phillies will start RHP Vance Worley in the final game on Thursday afternoon. Worley had a no-decision in his May 24 start against the Reds, giving up three runs in five innings. The Reds will go with RHP Mike Leake, who has given up 11 runs in 14 1-3 innings of his two starts against Philadelphia. … The Reds plan to call up seven players from the minors on Thursday, including C Devin Mesoraco, their top draft pick in 2007. It will be his major-league debut.

CINCINNATI — In two games, the Cincinnati Reds have managed only one run and four hits off Philadelphia’s starters. No wonder that winning streak hit the wall. Roy Halladay allowed only a pair of hits in seven innings and drove in three runs with the second double of his career on Tuesday night, leading the Phillies to a 9-0 victory over a Cincinnati team that can’t handle Philadelphia’s fabulous rotation. “Their pitching staff is where it’s at,” Reds starter Bronson Arroyo said. “When you’ve got three guys that could probably win the Cy Young and be as consistent as they’ve been all year, it’s very hard to beat those guys on a consistent basis.” The Reds had won four in a row before the Phillies came to town and took over. Halladay (16-5) gave up Brandon Phillips’ leadoff single in the first inning, then dominated the team he no-hit in the playoffs last season. His bases-loaded double in the sixth inning off Arroyo (8-11) made it 6-0. Ryan Howard hit two of the Phillies’ four homers, giving him 29 for the season. He also reached 100 RBIs for the sixth straight year, a team record. Howard had been tied with Hall of Famer Chuck Klein for consecutive 100-RBI seasons. Raul Ibanez returned from a strained groin and had a two-run homer among his three hits. Hunter Pence also hit a solo homer off Arroyo, who has given up the most in the majors. The Phillies improved to 5-1 against the Reds this season and 19-6 lately. They swept their three-game division series last season, which started with Halladay throwing the second postseason no-hitter in history. When he gets together with the Reds, memorable things tend to happen. Any thoughts of another no-hitter were dismissed on his second pitch. Phillips singled to right field, extending his hitting streak to 13 games, the longest by a Red this season. The Reds wouldn’t get another hit until Joey Votto doubled in the seventh. Halladay walked two, hit one batter and fanned nine. “Halladay wasn’t sharp early,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “He threw a lot of pitches. It’s always a game changer when you get on a guy like that early.” Cincinnati couldn’t do it. The Reds managed four hits while getting blanked for the seventh time. Philadelphia’s 18 shutouts lead the majors. Halladay will remember this one more for his swing. He came to bat in the sixth with the bases loaded and lined a down-the-middle slider the opposite way into the right-field corner, producing his first RBIs of the season and ending Arroyo’s outing. The right-hander fell to 1-7 career against the Phillies. Howard connected off Arroyo in the fourth, a two-run homer that carried out. “I didn’t think that Howard’s was out,” Arroyo said. “In this ballpark, you hope the wind will keep it in. It was straight up. It just got out.” Pence hit a chest-high pitch for a homer that started the rally in the sixth — the exact pitch that Arroyo wanted to throw. “Hunter is kind of a strange hitter,” Arroyo said. “He hits some balls that you think are going to bounce. He just hit it out of the park. That’s the way it goes with guys like that sometimes, you know. They’re so unorthodox. He’s hitting ball like Vladimir Guerrero hit, balls that shouldn’t be hit.” Arroyo has given up 36 homers, the most ever by a Reds right-hander. Left-hander Eric Milton holds the franchise record of 40 homers allowed.

Published 1:44am Wednesday, August 31, 2011

CINCINNATI (AP) — In two games, the Cincinnati Reds have managed only one run and four hits off Philadelphia’s starters.

No wonder that winning streak hit the wall.

Roy Halladay allowed only a pair of hits in seven innings and drove in three runs with the second double of his career on Tuesday night, leading the Phillies to a 9-0 victory over a Cincinnati team that can’t handle Philadelphia’s fabulous rotation.

“Their pitching staff is where it’s at,” Reds starter Bronson Arroyo said. “When you’ve got three guys that could probably win the Cy Young and be as consistent as they’ve been all year, it’s very hard to beat those guys on a consistent basis.”

The Reds had won four in a row before the Phillies came to town and took over.

Halladay (16-5) gave up Brandon Phillips’ leadoff single in the first inning, then dominated the team he no-hit in the playoffs last season. His bases-loaded double in the sixth inning off Arroyo (8-11) made it 6-0.

Ryan Howard hit two of the Phillies’ four homers, giving him 29 for the season. He also reached 100 RBIs for the sixth straight year, a team record. Howard had been tied with Hall of Famer Chuck Klein for consecutive 100-RBI seasons.

Raul Ibanez returned from a strained groin and had a two-run homer among his three hits. Hunter Pence also hit a solo homer off Arroyo, who has given up the most in the majors.

The Phillies improved to 5-1 against the Reds this season and 19-6 lately. They swept their three-game division series last season, which started with Halladay throwing the second postseason no-hitter in history.

When he gets together with the Reds, memorable things tend to happen.

Any thoughts of another no-hitter were dismissed on his second pitch. Phillips singled to right field, extending his hitting streak to 13 games, the longest by a Red this season. The Reds wouldn’t get another hit until Joey Votto doubled in the seventh. Halladay walked two, hit one batter and fanned nine.

“Halladay wasn’t sharp early,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “He threw a lot of pitches. It’s always a game changer when you get on a guy like that early.”

Cincinnati couldn’t do it. The Reds managed four hits while getting blanked for the seventh time. Philadelphia’s 18 shutouts lead the majors.

Halladay will remember this one more for his swing.

He came to bat in the sixth with the bases loaded and lined a down-the-middle slider the opposite way into the right-field corner, producing his first RBIs of the season and ending Arroyo’s outing.

The right-hander fell to 1-7 career against the Phillies.

Howard connected off Arroyo in the fourth, a two-run homer that carried out.

“I didn’t think that Howard’s was out,” Arroyo said. “In this ballpark, you hope the wind will keep it in. It was straight up. It just got out.”

Pence hit a chest-high pitch for a homer that started the rally in the sixth — the exact pitch that Arroyo wanted to throw.

“Hunter is kind of a strange hitter,” Arroyo said. “He hits some balls that you think are going to bounce. He just hit it out of the park. That’s the way it goes with guys like that sometimes, you know. They’re so unorthodox. He’s hitting ball like Vladimir Guerrero hit, balls that shouldn’t be hit.”

Arroyo has given up 36 homers, the most ever by a Reds right-hander. Left-hander Eric Milton holds the franchise record of 40 homers allowed.

Notes: Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman James Wisniewski shagged balls during batting practice and threw a ceremonial pitch. … It was Howard’s third multihomer game of the season and the 28th of his career. … After the game, the Phillies optioned RH Michael Schwimer to Triple-A. They’ll make a corresponding move on Wednesday. … The Phillies will start LH Cliff Lee in their third game against Cincinnati on Wednesday. Lee has won his last five starts. He beat the Reds on May 26 in Philadelphia, improving to 5-2 career against them. … Cincinnati will start left-hander Dontrelle Willis, who is still trying for that elusive first win of the season. He’s 0-3 after nine starts. The bullpen has blown three save chances behind him. … Paul Janish pinch-hit and flied out, leaving the Reds SS in an 0-for-23 rut.

Roy Halladay allowed only a pair of hits in seven innings and drove in three runs with the second double of his career on Tuesday night, leading the Phillies to a 9-0 victory over a Cincinnati team that can’t handle Philadelphia’s fabulous rotation.

“Their pitching staff is where it’s at,” Reds starter Bronson Arroyo said. “When you’ve got three guys that could probably win the Cy Young and be as consistent as they’ve been all year, it’s very hard to beat those guys on a consistent basis.”

The Reds had won four in a row before the Phillies came to town and took over.

Halladay (16-5) gave up Brandon Phillips’ leadoff single in the first inning, then dominated the team he no-hit in the playoffs last season. His bases-loaded double in the sixth inning off Arroyo (8-11) made it 6-0.

Ryan Howard hit two of the Phillies’ four homers, giving him 29 for the season. He also reached 100 RBIs for the sixth straight year, a team record. Howard had been tied with Hall of Famer Chuck Klein for consecutive 100-RBI seasons.

Raul Ibanez returned from a strained groin and had a two-run homer among his three hits. Hunter Pence also hit a solo homer off Arroyo, who has given up the most in the majors.

The Phillies improved to 5-1 against the Reds this season and 19-6 lately. They swept their three-game division series last season, which started with Halladay throwing the second postseason no-hitter in history.

When he gets together with the Reds, memorable things tend to happen.

Any thoughts of another no-hitter were dismissed on his second pitch. Phillips singled to right field, extending his hitting streak to 13 games, the longest by a Red this season. The Reds wouldn’t get another hit until Joey Votto doubled in the seventh. Halladay walked two, hit one batter and fanned nine.

“Halladay wasn’t sharp early,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “He threw a lot of pitches. It’s always a game changer when you get on a guy like that early.”

Cincinnati couldn’t do it. The Reds managed four hits while getting blanked for the seventh time. Philadelphia’s 18 shutouts lead the majors.

Halladay will remember this one more for his swing.

He came to bat in the sixth with the bases loaded and lined a down-the-middle slider the opposite way into the right-field corner, producing his first RBIs of the season and ending Arroyo’s outing. The right-hander fell to 1-7 career against the Phillies.

Howard connected off Arroyo in the fourth, a two-run homer that carried out.

“I didn’t think that Howard’s was out,” Arroyo said. “In this ballpark, you hope the wind will keep it in. It was straight up. It just got out.”

Pence hit a chest-high pitch for a homer that started the rally in the sixth — the exact pitch that Arroyo wanted to throw.

“Hunter is kind of a strange hitter,” Arroyo said. “He hits some balls that you think are going to bounce. He just hit it out of the park. That’s the way it goes with guys like that sometimes, you know. They’re so unorthodox. He’s hitting ball like Vladimir Guerrero hit, balls that shouldn’t be hit.”

Arroyo has given up 36 homers, the most ever by a Reds right-hander. Left-hander Eric Milton holds the franchise record of 40 homers allowed.

Notes: Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman James Wisniewski shagged balls during batting practice and threw a ceremonial pitch. … It was Howard’s third multihomer game of the season and the 28th of his career. … After the game, the Phillies optioned RH Michael Schwimer to Triple-A. They’ll make a corresponding move on Wednesday. … The Phillies will start LH Cliff Lee in their third game against Cincinnati on Wednesday. Lee has won his last five starts. He beat the Reds on May 26 in Philadelphia, improving to 5-2 career against them. … Cincinnati will start left-hander Dontrelle Willis, who is still trying for that elusive first win of the season. He’s 0-3 after nine starts. The bullpen has blown three save chances behind him. … Paul Janish pinch-hit and flied out, leaving the Reds SS in an 0-for-23 rut.

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

“It’s too bad somebody wasn’t in scoring position,” said manager Davey Johnson, who was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing that Reds starter Johnny Cueto had hit Michael Morse. “We would have walked (Votto).”

Reds pinch-hitter Yonder Alonso opened the ninth with a home run off Drew Storen, making it 4-all.

Votto hit a full-count pitch from Collin Balester (1-3), Washington’s seventh and last relief pitcher, into the left-field bleachers to push the Reds over .500 for the first time since July 3.

“I knew he was a good (opposite-field) hitter,” Balester said. “He just reached out and put it over the fence and the game ended.”

It was a familiar scene for him: Balester was on the mound for the Reds’ 4-3 walkoff win Friday.

The Nationals matched their worst losing streak of the season. Not since they moved from Montreal in 2005 had they played for so long — the previous longest was 5:13 on Sept. 14, 2007, a 13-inning game against Atlanta.

The Nationals left after the game for Atlanta, where they get Monday off.

After taking over for Johnson, bench coach Pat Corrales was ejected for complaining about a pitch. The Nationals ended up being led by third-base coach Bo Porter.

The Nationals loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 10th, but Ian Desmond lined to shortstop Edgar Renteria, who stepped on second for an unassisted double play.

Cueto and five Reds relievers combined for 19 strikeouts, tying the team record. Cueto fanned 11 in seven innings and maintained his NL ERA lead despite allowing a season-high nine hits. He gave up two runs and finished the day with a 2.05 ERA — up from the 2.03 figure he took into the game. Cueto hit two batters and walked one.

Washington pushed across a run with two outs in the first on a single by Rick Ankiel, Morse’s walk and Danny Espinosa’s single.

Votto hit a solo homer in the first and his 26th of the season to win it.

Jay Bruce put the Reds ahead in the fourth with his 28th homer. The Nationals strung together consecutive inning-opening singles by Desmond, Jayson Werth and Ankiel to make it 2-all in the fifth.

Cueto contributed a surprising single to Cincinnati’s one-run rally in the fifth. Ryan Hanigan, 10 for 21 (.476) in his previous six starts going into the game, led off with a single on his way to going 3 for 4. After Paul Janish flied out, Cueto softly lined a slug bunt past pitcher Jordan Zimmermann’s head into center field for his second hit in 41 at-bats this season. Zimmermann hit Brandon Phillips with a pitch to load the bases and walked Fred Lewis, giving the Reds a 3-2 lead.

Zimmermann, making what is expected to be his last start of the season, allowed six hits and three runs with one walk and six strikeouts in 4 1-3 innings, his shortest of the season. He had made 25 starts and pitched 161 1-3 innings in his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2009.

“This start right here makes me want to get back on the mound,” he said. “It’ll make me more ready to get back on the mound in spring training.”

Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, 3 for 25 (.120) over his last six games, didn’t start for the Nationals, but he tied it in the eighth by driving in Espinosa from second base with a two-out, pinch-hit single off Aroldis Chapman.

The Nationals took a ninth-inning lead when Desmond led off with a single, stole second and scored on Werth’s single.

Alonso tied it with his third homer since being called up from Triple-A Louisville on July 26. Storen has blown fifth of 39 save opportunities.

NOTES: Reds 3B Scott Rolen has started taking ground balls and live batting practice and hopes to leave soon on a rehab assignment. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on Aug. 3 to remove bone spurs and fragments from his left shoulder. … After a day off Monday in Atlanta, the Nationals open a three-game series against the Braves with RHP Livan Hernandez making his 36th career start against them, the most by any active pitcher. Milwaukee’s Randy Wolf is next with 26 starts. … Cincinnati RHP Homer Bailey makes his first career home start Monday against the Phillies after going 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA in four starts at Philadelphia.

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

Pittsburgh (KDKA)- The Pirates will look to win their 50th game of the season tonight when they open up a 3-game series vs. the Cincinnati Reds.

Pitching matchup will be James McDonald (5-4, 4.42 ERA) vs. Dontrelle Willis (0-0, 3.00 ERA).

The Pirates are currently tied for 2nd place with St. Louis and trail 1st place Milwaukee by just a half-game.

The Pirates will now play 12 straight games against teams with a combined record of 212-167..So far this year, the Pirates are 5-1 against the Reds, 2-1 against the Cardinals, 2-1 against the Phillies and 0-2 against Atlanta.

Overall in 2011, the Bucs are 23-18 in games against teams with a winning record.

Check out how impressive the Pirates have been since the end of May.

*Have posted a 25-16 record since May 27 and have gone 27-18 in their last 45 games.

*The Bucs have not lost back-back games since losing 4 straight June 17-20.