4:05 p.m.: Votto's homer, single rally Reds over Pirates 8-6
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Joey Votto hit a solo homer and a tiebreaking, bases-loaded single in the eighth inning Thursday, completing the Cincinnati Reds' rally from a five-run deficit to an 8-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
By scoring three times in the eighth, the Reds avoided a sweep by the Pirates, who have dropped 11 of their last 13 games.
Craig Hansen (0-3) couldnt hold a one-run lead in the eighth, when his wild pitch let in the tying run. Hansen has given up runs in six of his nine appearances with the Pirates, who got him from Boston as part of the three-team trade involving outfielder Jason Bay.
Vottos run-scoring single off T.J. Beam put the Reds ahead for the first time, and Edwin Encarnacion followed with a sacrifice fly.
Nick Masset (1-0), who came to the Reds in the trade that sent Ken Griffey Jr. to the White Sox, got the victory despite giving up a solo homer by Nate McLouth in the eighth. Francisco Cordero pitched out of a threat in the ninth for his 27th save in 33 chances.
The Pirates swept the first series at Great American Ball Park in 2003. Since then, the two mirror-image franchises have shared misery and, quite often, the bottom spots in the NL Central.
At 59-80, the last-place Pirates are two defeats away from clinching their 16th straight losing season, which would tie the major-league record held by the 1933-48 Phillies.
The Reds are 62-78, leaving them within four defeats of their eighth straight losing season. Its their longest such slump in a half-century.
The Pirates pulled ahead 5-0 in the second inning against Josh Fogg, who left after three innings with a strained groin. Chris Gomez hit a two-run shot off Fogg, the 37-year-old infielders first homer since April 14, 2007, when his grand slam off Kansas Citys Joel Peralta accounted for his only homer of last season.
It was another poor showing by Fogg, who has only one victory in 10 starts since returning from a sore back. His ERA over that span is 6.30. He strained his groin while tagging up on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third.
The Reds pulled even by scoring a run in five consecutive innings off left-hander Tom Gorzelanny and the Pirates bullpen. Jay Bruce and Votto hit solo homers, and Brandon Phillips run-scoring groundout tied it at 5 in the sixth inning.
Notes: Pittsburgh plays three in San Francisco over the weekend. The Pirates have won 13 of their last 15 against the Giants. ... In three starts since he was recalled from Triple-A, Gorzelanny is 0-2 with a 6.61 ERA. ... McLouths homer was his 24th, leaving him four shy of the club record for a center fielder set by Brian Giles in 1999. ... Reds RH Ramon Ramirez made his second big-league appearance and singled for his first major-league hit.
