Tied For First

The Reds hit into five double plays but somehow surrounded them with 10 hits and five walks to score seven runs in a 7-5 win over the Pittsbrugh Pirates, the fourth straight win over them.

It was enough for Aaron Harang to improve to 3-5 with 6 1/3 innings of hard work.  That work included driving in the lead run with two outs, one of many two-out hits and scoring from firstbase on a double by Orlando Cabrera.

"I felt good overall," Harang said.  "Fatigue started to set in in the seventh.  You probably won't see me score from fistbase like that again.  I didn't know what I wanted to do when I got to home.  I tried to make it without falling on my face.  It was the good thing they made a pitching change."

The Pirates led 2-1 going into the bottom of the fifth.  Ronnie Cedeno hit his fourth home run of the season in the second inning.  It was his third off Reds' pitching this season.

The Reds had the bases loaded with no outs but Ryan Hanigan hit into a 6-4-3 double play to score the tying run.  Harang singled sharply through the hole at shortstop, one of four straight two-out hits in the inning.  Inspired by Harang's long run the Reds scored five times in the inning while two were out.

"Those two out hits were huge," Dusty Baker said.  "Harang was stumblin and bumblin home.  It was a big two runs.  He got a win and we got a win."

The Reds tied the St. Louis Cardinals at the top of the National League Central Division.  The Cards had the night off.

Arthur Rhodes did not have the night off.  He made the 800th appearance of his career.  The 40-year old lefthander had a 16 1/3 inning scoreless streak and amazingly ranks 11th all-time in strikeouts per nine innings

Drew Stubbs had three hits, including his fifth home run and an RBI double. He hit the ball extremely hard in his last at bat but Akinori Iwamura made a diving stop and turned it into one of the five double plays.

Enerio Del Rosario pitched to one batter and struck him out but Ryan Hanigan couldn't handle it and Andrew McCutchen reached base.

"He threw the ball great," Baker said.  "That hard sinker reminds me of Pedro Borbon."

The Pirates scored three runs off a gassed Harang in the seventh to make it 7-5

Del Rosario, Daniel Herrera, Rhodes and Francisco "Coco" Cordero stopped the Prates cold.  Cordero allowed a double but it was one of his more routine saves of the year, his 15th in 18 tries.