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McLouth leads Pirates past Reds

Apr 13, 2008 - 3:57 AM By Chris Adamski PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Nate McLouth is taking full advantage of finally getting an opportunity to play regularly in the major leagues.

McLouth extended his league-leading hits total to 21 with two, including an RBI single in the sixth inning that snapped a tie and lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-3 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

Ronny Paulino delivered a two-run single and Xavier Nady went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Pirates, who look to complete a sweep of the three-game series against their National League Central Division rivals on Sunday.

Ian Snell (2-0) worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Damaso Marte, Tyler Yates and John Grabow bridged the gap to Matt Capps, who worked around a leadoff single by Ken Griffey Jr. in the ninth for his third save of the season.

Jeff Keppinger and Joey Votto each recorded three hits and an RBI for Cincinnati, which has lost four of six.

McLouth, who has an 11-game hitting streak, recorded his second single of the night off Mike Lincoln (0-1) in the sixth to score Brian Bixler and give the Pirates a 4-3 lead. Bixler had reached on a one-out base hit, the first of his career.

"When you're getting to play every day and good things start to happen, you're able to carry it from one night to the next and can kind of build off it from night to night," said McLouth, who primarily was a backup outfielder during his previous 2 1/2 years with the Pirates. "I've been feeling more comfortable, getting consistent at-bats and consistent playing time. I haven't played every day for a couple years now, so to be back feels good."

"(McLouth) is a professional hitter who has come up big for us," Pittsburgh manager John Russell said. "Even though the season's young, he's been very big for us so far."

Pittsburgh opened the scoring in the second inning, when Paulino drove in two runs with a single off former Pirate Bronson Arroyo. But the Reds pulled even in the fifth, when Corey Patterson plated Votto with a fielder's choice, stole second and scored on a base hit by Keppinger.

A two-out RBI single by Nady in the bottom of the inning put the Pirates back in front, 3-2, but Votto answered with a run-scoring base hit in the sixth to again knot the contest.

The Reds threatened in the seventh as Keppinger chased Snell with a one out single. Griffey and Brandon Phillips followed with base hits off Marte to load the bases, but the lefthander struck out Adam Dunn and Yates induced a flyout by Edwin Encarnacion to escape unscathed.

"I think I did a pretty good job," Snell said. "I kept the damage to a minimum and let the defense play. They're a good hitting team and I kept their big guns off base and kept them from doing damage."

That was one of several missed opportunities by Cincinnati, which stranded 11 runners - including five at third base.

"Seems like the big hit's been alluding us, and they keep getting them," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "That's the name of the game - he who gets the most two-out hits usually wins. And that's who won tonight."

Arroyo tossed five innings, allowing three runs - two earned - six hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

"The big inning just isn't coming," Arroyo said of his team's offensive struggles. "We left (23) guys on base the last two nights, but that's the way it goes sometimes. You wait for that big one, and hopefully it will come. I feel like we're playing pretty good ball. ... We've got to try to win these close ballgames."