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Bucs score eight in 10th to down Reds

May 26, 2007 - 3:53 AM CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Aaron Harang put the Cincinnati Reds in a position to win, but poor execution on bunt plays kept them from ending their skid.

David Weathers and Brad Salmon were tagged for eight runs in the 10th inning after a botched bunt as the Reds dropped their fourth straight contest, 10-4, to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a four-game series on Fireworks Night on Friday.

Jason Bay and Xavier Nady homered for the Pirates, who snapped a five-game losing streak.

After Cincinnati's Scott Hatteberg failed to sacrifice Juan Castro to second with no outs in the ninth inning, Jack Wilson led off the 10th against Weathers (1-3) with a ground single between third base and shortstop. Nate McLouth then laid down a bunt and catcher Chad Moeller tried to throw out Wilson at second base, but his throw was late.

"If they're going to give you an out, you need to take it," frustrated Cincinnati manager Jerry Narron said. "We didn't get it. Giving up that many runs there is hard to believe, but over the last couple of weeks, I've seen a lot of things that I couldn't believe and I've been in this game a long time."

Jose Bautista followed with a bloop single to left field to load the bases and Chris Duffy lined a hard sacrifice fly to right. Freddy Sanchez drilled a ground-rule RBI double to left-center field for a 4-2 edge. After an intentional walk, Bay was hit by a pitch, forcing in a run and bringing on Salmon.

Ronny Paulino doubled in two runs, Nady plated another with a second run scoring on a throwing error by center fielder Ryan Freel before Wilson capped the scoring with an RBI single.

"We played a very good ballgame," Pittsburgh manager Jim Tracy said. "We had good at-bats once we got some runners on."

The inning was a direct contrast to Pittsburgh series with St. Louis.

"We had a lot of chances. We were swinging at everything," Paulino said. "In the eighth inning with the bases loaded we didn't have good swings. Once Duffy hit the sacrifice fly we relaxed and kept swinging."

"It's a strange game," Nady said. "We started to have some good at-bats. It's encouraging to know that we're capable of doing this. Duffy had a good at-bat then everything fell into place."

Damaso Marte allowed a pinch hit single to Javier Valentin but Hatteberg bunted right back to Marte who forced pinch runner Juan Castro at second. Jonah Bayless (4-2) earned the win by stranding Hatteberg, the 18th stranded runner among the 20 he's inherited by getting Ryan Freel and Norris Hopper to fly out.

"Marte and Bayless did a real nice job to get us to the 10th," Tracy said.

Prior to the Pirates ruining the mood for the postgame fireworks display, Harang gave the Reds enough to provide the club with a sixth win in 23 games.

"It's collective, it's gaining speed and it snowballs. We're doing things I've never seen a team do," Hatteberg said. "Our hopes were pretty high, especially coming out of spring training. We're definitely not playing to our potential. It's a long season, but we've got to turn it around."

Despite winning his two previous starts against Pittsburgh this season, Harang was tagged for 10 runs and 18 hits in 13 2/3 innings, and the righthander got off to a shaky start Friday.

Bay opened the second inning with his sixth homer of the season and Nady followed one batter later with a blast to left field - his sixth of the campaign. Bay entered the contest 12-for-34 with with three homers and Nady 7-for-16 against Harang.

But the 2006 National League strikeout leader settled in, retiring the side in order the next two frames with the aid of a double play before pitching perfect frames in the fifth through seven frames.

The Pirates threatened to break a 2-2 tie in the eighth after loading the bases on a walk, hit by pitch and infield single, but Ross fielded a swinging bunt by Sanchez and threw him out at first to escape.

Harang left after the eighth, allowing two runs and five hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

Even with Harang mowing down the opposition, the struggling Reds, who lost to obscure starters Matt Chico, Jason Simontacchi and Mike Bacsik in their past three games to the Washington Nationals, looked on their way to another loss to a struggling hurler.

"We've gone through some bad stretches, but it likes in this, just when it looks like we're turning the page, something bad happens," Harang said. "If you overdwell on it, you make it worse. We have to go out and do the small things and hope somebody finds a horseshoe in the clubhouse."

Pittsburgh starter Paul Maholm, who entered 1-3 with a 6.55 ERA in May and a loser to Cincinnati on April 6, carried a three-hit shutout into the sixth.

However, the Reds showed their power bats, as Ken Griffey Jr. blasted career homer No. 574 and major league-leading 10th blast this month into the right-field bullpen to lead off the frame. Brandon Phillips followed with his ninth homer of the season to tie the game at 2-2.

With Griffey's blast, he moved past Harmon Killebrew for sole possession of eighth place - nine behind Mark McGwire for seventh. The lefthanded hitter is batting .349 (29-for-83) with 21 RBI this month.

Maholm last seven innings, yielding the two runs and seven hits.

"It is a tell-tale sign with Maholm if he can get outs early in the count and limit his pitch count by commanding the strike zone, he'll get into the seventh or eighth inning and have a chance to win," Tracy said.