Bookend Home Runs by Votto Put Reds Over .500 In 14 Inning 5-4 Win

Joey Votto started the scoring with a home run in the first inning and ended it with one.

There was 5 hours and 15 minutes of sound and fury in between.

Votto led off the 14th inning with his second home run of the game, lifting the Cincinnati Reds over the Washington Nationals 5-4 Sunday.


Reds pinch-hitter Yonder Alonso opened the ninth with a home run off Drew Storen, making it 4-all.

Votto hit a full-count pitch from Collin Balester (1-3) into the left-field bleachers to push the Reds over .500 for the first time since July 3.

His second career game-ending homer sent the Nationals to a sixth straight loss, tying their season high. Votto hit a solo shot in the first and hit his 26th of the season to win it.

 "It didn't feel like a great day with the bat for me but I end up with a couple homers and a couple walks.  It's such an odd game sometimes," Votto said.

Votto has hit longer home runs but few as effective.

"The first home run just scraped out of the ballpark and then the last one kind of the same thing but I didn't feel very good today."

Washington manager Davey Johnson prefers not to pitch to Votto with runners on base, pitching around him in the seventh and intentionally walking him in the 11th. Washington took its chances with the reigning MVP leading off the 14th.

 "It's a shame there wasn't a runner in scoring position or we could have walked him," Johnson said.

Johnny Cueto and five Reds relievers combined for 19 strikeouts, tying the team record. Cueto fanned 11 in seven innings.

Bill Bray (4-2) allowed one hit in the 14th to get the win.

Washington manager Davey Johnson and bench coach Pat Corrales and Reds manager Dusty Baker all were ejected.

 The Nationals loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 10th, but Ian Desmond lined to shortstop Edgar Renteria, who stepped on second for an unassisted double play.

Cueto maintained his NL ERA lead despite allowing a season-high nine hits. He gave up two runs and finished the day with a 2.05 ERA _ up from the 2.03 figure he took into the game. Cueto hit two batters and walked one.

Washington pushed across a run with two outs in the first on a single by Rick Ankiel, Michael Morse's walk and Danny Espinosa's single.

Votto tied it in the first and Jay Bruce put the Reds ahead in the fourth with his 28th homer.

 The Nationals strung together consecutive inning-opening singles by Desmond, Jayson Werth and Ankiel to make it 2-all in the fifth.

Cueto contributed a surprising single to Cincinnati's one-run rally in the fifth. Ryan Hanigan, 10 for 21 (.476) in his previous six starts going into the game, led off with a single on his way to going 3 for 4. After Paul Janish flied out, Cueto softly lined a slug bunt past Washington starter Jordan Zimmerman's head into center field for his second hit in 41 at-bats this season. Zimmerman hit Brandon Phillips with a pitch to load the bases and walked Fred Lewis, giving the Reds a 3-2 lead.

Zimmerman, making what is expected to be his last start of the season, allowed six hits and three runs with one walk and six strikeouts in 4 1-3 innings. He had made 25 starts and pitched 161 1-3 innings in his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2009.

Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, 3 for 25 (.120) over his last six games, didn't start for the Nationals, but he tied it in the eighth by driving in Espinosa from second base with a two-out, pinch-hit single off Aroldis Chapman.

 "We're always talking about picking each other up," Baker said.  "The bullpen has picked us up a lot of times. We had a number of chances and they had a number of chances."

The Nationals took a ninth-inning lead when Desmond led off with a single, stole second and scored on Werth single.

 Alonso tied it with his third homer since being called up from Triple-A Louisville on July 26. Storen has blown fifth of 39 save opportunities.

"I faced him last week and he came right at me," said Alonso, who has seen limited playing time because like Votto he plays first base.  "I get a lot of work in the cage and I try to stay positive."

  NOTES: Reds 3B Scott Rolen has started taking ground balls and live batting practice and hopes to leave soon on a rehab assignment. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on Aug. 3 to remove bone spurs and fragments from his left shoulder. ... After a day off Monday in Atlanta, the Nationals open a three-game series against the Braves with RHP Livan Hernandez making his 36th career start against them, the most by any active pitcher. Milwaukee's Randy Wolf is next with 26 starts. ... Cincinnati RHP Homer Bailey makes his first career home start Monday against the Phillies after going 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA in four starts at Philadelphia.