Reds Crawl Back In 8th, Deny Pirates Of Three-Game Sweep

Cincinnati, OH (AHN) - Cincinnati got three runs in the eighth inning and Joey Votto had a homer and two RBIs as the Reds avoided a sweep against Pittsburgh with an 8-6 win Thursday at Great American Ball Park.

After losing the first two games both on one-run affairs, the Reds were on course for another defeat against their fellow NL Central cellar-dwellers. But Votto pulled the Reds ahead at 7-6 with a run-scoring single off Craig Hansen in the eighth.

The rally started as early as the second inning when Cincinnati allowed five Pittsburgh runs for a 5-0 deficit.

Slowly, the perennial division doormats crawled back, their biggest break coming on a wild pitch charged to Hansen that forced a tying run from Wilkin Castillo.

After Votto's single, Edwin Encarnacion lofted a sac fly to score Jeff Keppinger for the final tally. Nick Masset got the win after getting six outs in the seventh and eighth innings while Francisco Cordero saved his 27th game in 33 chances.

The win boosted the Reds' mark to 62-78, assuring themselves that the Pirates are the last-placed team in the division this season. Still, Cincinnati is on pace for its eighth straight losing season, the longest skid in 50 years.

Pittsburgh is on pace for worse, and Thursday's loss sent the Pirates down to 59-80 in the NL Central. A couple more losses and Pittsburgh would tie the 1933-48 Philadelphia Phillies as losers of 16 straight seasons in the majors.

Chris Gomez tagged Reds starter Josh Fogg with a two-run shot in the second but the Pirates would be held silent for the next five innings. Nate McLouth broke the drought with a solo homer in the eighth.

Gomez and Steve Pearce drove in two runs each for the Pirates, who have lost 11 of their last 13. Pittsburgh heads to San Francisco next in a three-game series starting Friday night.

The Reds, who got 12 hits in the game, battle the NL-leading Chicago Cubs with Bronson Arroyo opposing Ted Lilly in the opener Friday night.