Reds Fall to Giants 6-5

Johnny Cueto was throwing hard with no lingering effects of the blister that caused him to leave a start early last month.

"It was a matter of location," Dusty Baker said.  "He was throwing hard but getting the ball up early.  They had a lot of two strike hits.  That doesn't usually happen."

Cueto gave up two runs in the second inning and again in the third.  In the second opposing pitcher, Barry Zito, came to the plate with runners on first and second.  Cueto got ahead of him 1-2 but put the next pitch in the dirt that got past catcher Ramon Hernandez.  Zito singled both runners home on the next pitch.  San Francisco added two more in the third on a single by Juan Uribe that followed Aubrey Huff's double with a man on.

After that Cueto pitched three scoreless innings.

"He was missing his spots but he kept us in the game," Hernandez said.  "After two bad innings, he didn't get out of whack.  He kept his focus."

As the Reds have been doing all year, they rallied back.  Scott Rolen walked to start the second.  One out later Jay Bruce doubled and Rolen had to make an abrupt stop at third when Mark Berry threw up the stop sign.  Drew Stubb hit a sharp single to right to get Rolen home but it was hit too hard to score Bruce.  Zito got Hernandez to end the inning on a 6-4-3 double play.

Rolen tripled off Aaron Rowand's glove in the fourth with one out.  Jonny Gomes hit a fly to deep left to plate a run.  Bruce hit his eighth home run to bring the Reds within one at 4-3.

While Cueto battled and worked out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth that ended with Stubbs tracking Andres Torres line drive to deep center, the Reds took the lead.

With two out and no one on, Bruce got his third hit of the game, a single.  Zito walked Stubbs and Hernandez.  Miguel Cairo, who got his stroke back filling in for Joey Votto last week, singled to left to put the Reds up 5-4.

Daniel Herrera couldn't hold the lead in the seventh.  Freddy Sanchez and Pablo Sandoval singled and advanced on a ground out.  Enerio Del Rosario relieved and Uribe singled the Giants into the lead.

It was the fifth time that Cueto has been the victim of a blown save, that's the most that any major league pitcher has suffered.

"We can't wear Arthur (Rhodes) out," Baker said.  "His foot is hurting him.  We wanted to stay away from him.  Someone else has to step up in the bullpen.  Arthur's a man.  He's a warrior.  But the right side of our bullpen outside of Coco (Francisco Cordero) and Micah (Owings) are young and inexperienced."