Reds' Freel healed; Pirates feel the pain

Cincinnati had lost five of its previous six road games.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ryan Freel could hardly wait to get back in the lineup, and it certainly showed.
Freel, who missed 12 games with a strained right hamstring, had a career-high four hits as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-4 on Tuesday night.
"It was miserable being out," he said. "I was finally getting a chance, and then just knowing I could be out there playing but having to sit and watch these guys was very frustrating."
Freel went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs as part of the Reds' 17-hit attack.
"A lot of guys here are battling for next year," the outfielder said. "Nothing's going to be given to me, and I have to go out there and still open up some eyes."
Pre-injury output
Freel hit .278 while starting 10 consecutive games before being injured in a game at Milwaukee. He said he felt nervous Tuesday, but it didn't show as he singled in his first two at-bats and homered off Oliver Perez (4-9) to lead off the fifth inning.
"That's what he's capable of doing, and it's what he was doing before he got hurt," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "It was like he didn't miss a beat."
D'Angelo Jimenez added three hits and drove in three runs, and Wily Mo Pena homered for Cincinnati, which had lost five of its previous six road games.
Aaron Harang (4-2), who hadn't pitched since straining his lower back Sept. 5, scattered four hits over five innings. Brian Reith earned his first career save with 21/3 scoreless innings.
"I was just trying to throw strikes and make some good pitches," said Harang, who retired 10 consecutive hitters during one stretch before being lifted after feeling some tightness in his back.
"I just tried to worry about making sure I didn't do anything to reinjure my back," Harang said. "We didn't want to take any chances."
Perez allowed eight hits and four runs in five innings.
"There are going to be growing pains, and you're going to have inconsistency with young pitchers," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said. "That's part of it. You just keep running them out there and they'll get better."
Breaking it open
The Reds led 5-4 before breaking it open with four runs in the eighth off reliever Mark Corey.
Jason LaRue doubled and scored on Ruben Mateo's single. Ray Olmedo grounded into fielder's choice, Dernell Stenson walked on four pitches and Freel was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Tim Hummel hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-4. Jimenez hit a two-run single to make it 9-4.
Stenson had a sacrifice fly and Freel hit a two-run single in the ninth to cap the scoring.
Trailing 5-2, the Pirates scored twice in the seventh off John Riedling, who didn't record an out. Craig Wilson singled and beat right fielder Mateo's throw home to score on a triple by Rob Mackowiak, and Jack Wilson followed with a run-scoring single.