REDS FALL DESPITE 6 HRS

Game Features 8 Long Balls from 8 Players

CINCINNATI, July 11 (AP) - The Cincinnati Reds tied a National League season high by belting six home runs, but still lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-9 at Great American Ballpark. The two clubs combined for eight long balls, which ties the major league season high. The Tigers and White Sox also combined for eight home runs in a single game on April 30 at U.S. Cellular Field.

The contest was a seesaw affair, with the Reds setting the tone by scoring four runs on three homers in the bottom of the first inning, all surrendered by Pirates starter Jeff Locke who tied a big league season high by surrendering five home runs overall. Billy Hamilton led off the frame with his sixth home run of the season. One out later, Todd Frazier drew a walk and Jay Bruce brought him home with a line shot into the right field seats to give the Reds a 3-0 lead. Devin Mesoraco followed with his 16th round tripper of the season to make it 4-0.

If Reds starter Mat Latos was feeling secure, it wasn't for long. He yielded a lead-off single to Neil Walker and then hit Russell Martin with a pitch, putting runners on first and second. That set the table for Pedro Alvarez who drilled his 11th home run of the season; the three-run shot cut the deficit to a single run. Latos retired Gaby Sanchez and Jordy Mercer, but then surrendered a single to Locke. Gregory Polanco followed with a base hit of his own and Josh Harrison doubled home both runs, putting Pittsburgh on top 5-4.

The Reds regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Ryan Ludwick drew a lead-off free pass and trotted home one out later when Ramon Santiago cracked his second home run of the season.

The Pirates tied it up in the fifth when, with one out, Walker was hit with a pitch and scampered to third on Martin's base hit. Alvarez lifted a sacrifice fly to left to even the game at six.

Todd Frazier's one-out homer to left off Locke in the bottom of the fifth regained the lead for Cincinnati, but the Pirates came right back with two in the top of the sixth to recapture the advantage. Josh Harrison singled with two outs off reliever Carlos Contreras and Andrew McCutcheon cracked his 19th home run of the campaign to give Pittsburgh an 8-7 lead.

Chris Heisey's solo home run off Stolmy Pimentel knotted the score at eight apiece in the bottom of the sixth but the Pirates roared back in the top of the seventh to take the lead for good. Reliever J.J. Hoover retired Martin on a grounder to short for the first out but then walked three straight batters--Alvarez, Sanchez and Mercer--to load the bases. Pinch hitter Jeff Decker's sacrifice fly brought home Alvarez to put the Pirates on top 9-8 and Polanco's double to left-center on the first pitch he saw scored two more, to make it 11-8.

Bruce's RBI-single in the bottom of the seventh cut the deficit to two runs, but Jeanmar Gomez and Mark Melancon held the Reds off the scoreboard over the final two frames, allowing the Pirates to claim the victory. Pittsburgh has now defeated Cincinnati three straight times and holds the edge in the season series 8-3.

7/11/2014, Pit14-Cin14, Great American Ball Park

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
2014 Pirates 0 5 0 0 1 2 3 0 0 11 10 0 8 1
2014 Reds 4 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 9 10 0 4 0

Pirates AB R H BI AVG Reds AB R H BI AVG
Polanco,G rf 6 1 2 2 .302 Hamilton,B cf 5 2 2 1 .242
Harrison,J lf 5 1 2 2 .368 Cozart ss 5 0 1 0 .244
Gomez,J p 0 0 0 0 .000 Frazier 3b 3 2 1 1 .282
Martinez,M lf 0 0 0 0 .111 Bruce 1b 5 1 2 3 .218
McCutchen,A cf 5 1 1 2 .282 Mesoraco c 4 1 1 1 .301
Walker,N 2b 4 2 1 0 .247 Ludwick lf 3 1 0 0 .269
Martin,R c 3 1 1 0 .294 Heisey rf 3 1 2 1 .206
Alvarez,P 3b 3 2 1 4 .211 Santiago,R 2b 4 1 1 2 .260
Sanchez,G 1b 2 1 0 0 .139 Latos p 2 0 0 0 .167
Mercer ss 4 1 1 0 .237 Contreras p 0 0 0 0 .000
Locke p 1 1 1 0 .154 Lutz ph 1 0 0 0 .182
Frieri p 0 0 0 0 .000 Hoover p 0 0 0 0 .000
Snider ph 1 0 0 0 .290 Pena,B ph 1 0 0 0 .237
Pimentel p 0 0 0 0 .000 Chapman,A p 0 0 0 0 .000
Decker ph 0 0 0 1 .000 36 9 10 9
Hague ph 0 0 0 0 .500
Melancon p 0 0 0 0 .000
34 11 10 11

Pirates INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Locke 4.2 6 7 7 2 1 87 51 5.40
Frieri 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 5 3 2.82
Pimentel BS 1, W 2-1 1.0 1 1 1 0 1 18 10 4.50
Gomez,J H 6 2.0 2 1 1 2 1 37 19 6.07
Melancon S 17 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 15 11 2.76
9.0 10 9 9 4 5 162 94

Reds INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Latos 5.0 7 6 6 2 4 86 52 3.52
Contreras BS 1 1.0 2 2 2 0 2 20 14 2.45
Hoover L 2-2 2.0 1 3 3 3 2 39 19 3.32
Chapman,A 1.0 0 0 0 2 1 22 12 2.22
9.0 10 11 11 7 9 167 97

Pit: Snider batted for Frieri in the 6th
Decker batted for Pimentel in the 7th
Decker moved to lf in the 7th
Hague batted for Decker in the 9th
Martinez,M inserted at lf in the 9th
Cin: Lutz batted for Contreras in the 6th
Pena,B batted for Hoover in the 8th

2B-Polanco,G(5), Harrison,J(27), Hamilton,B(13). HR-McCutchen,A(19),
Alvarez,P(11), Hamilton,B(3), Frazier(21), Bruce(7), Mesoraco(16), Heisey(8),
Santiago,R(2). RBI-Polanco,G 2(15), Harrison,J 2(33), McCutchen,A 2(61),
Alvarez,P 4(52), Decker(1), Hamilton,B(27), Frazier(42), Bruce 3(34),
Mesoraco(37), Heisey(15), Santiago,R 2(8). K-Polanco,G 2, McCutchen,A 2,
Martin,R, Alvarez,P 2, Sanchez,G, Snider, Hamilton,B, Cozart, Frazier 2,
Ludwick. BB-Martin,R, Alvarez,P, Sanchez,G 3, Mercer, Hague, Frazier 2,
Ludwick, Heisey. SH-Locke. SF-Alvarez,P, Decker. HBP-Walker,N, Martin,R.
HB-Latos 2.
GWRBI: Decker
Temperature: 94, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 10 MPH.
Attendance: 30,973
Game Time: 3:17