Simon's homer carries Bucs to 1-0 win over Reds

The Reds' three-game winning streak was snapped.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Randall Simon hit his first home run of the season in the top of the ninth inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped the Cincinnati Reds' three-game winning streak with a 1-0 victory Saturday night.
Simon hit the first pitch from Todd Jones (5-2) into the right-field bleachers, giving the Pirates their second win in nine games.
Mark Corey (1-1) pitched a perfect eighth for the win. Jose Mesa pitched the ninth for his 17th save in as many tries to set a team record for consecutive saves in a season without a blown save.
Ken Griffey Jr. went 0-for-4 and is hitless in his last 20 at-bats to extend his slump to 1-for-23 since hitting his 500th career home run last Sunday in St. Louis.
Perez goes seven
Pittsburgh starter Oliver Perez went seven innings for his third no-decision in his last four starts. He allowed just three hits and three walks and matched his career high with 13 strikeouts, the most by a Pittsburgh pitcher since Jose DeLeon struck out 14 against the New York Mets on April 16, 1985.
Perez escaped bases-loaded jams in the third and fifth innings. He got Sean Casey to line out to first baseman Simon to end the third, and struck out Casey swinging to end the fifth.
Two of Perez's three previous wins had come against the Reds, including a complete-game shutout April 25.
His strikeout of Griffey leading off the sixth inning gave him 10, the eighth time in his career he's reached double figures in strikeouts. Four of those eight games were against Cincinnati.
The Pirates put runners on base in all but the first inning, but they got just one past second.
Aaron Harang, who was making his first start since June 1 after being on the disabled list with a sprained ligament in his right elbow, pitched five scoreless innings for the Reds. He allowed four hits and three walks and set a season high with seven strikeouts.
Notes
Saturday's sellout was Cincinnati's fourth in a row, the team's longest streak in the regular season since the Reds moved to the riverfront in mid-1970. Capacity at their previous home, Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field, was 9,473 more than Great American Ball Park for all but the last two years of its existence ... Jason Kendall, in his ninth year as Pittsburgh's regular catcher, turned 30 on Saturday ... Reds LF Adam Dunn didn't start for just the third time in Cincinnati's 74 games, including one start as a designated hitter ... Casey's fifth-inning strikeout snapped a streak of 73 consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout.
PITTSBURGHCINCINNATI
abrhbiabrhbi
Kendall c3010Freel lf3010
JWilsn ss3000Larkin ss2000
Mckwk 3b4010Casey 1b4000
CWilsn rf4000Grf Jr. cf4000
Stynes 3b0000WPena rf3000
Bay lf4010Dunn ph1010
Simon 1b3121LaRue c4000
TRdmn cf4010JCastro 2b3020
Castillo 2b4020Hmmel 3b3000
OlPrez p3000JaCruz ph1000
Corey p0000Harang p1000
Hill ph1000Larson ph1000
Mesa p0000GWhite p0000
JClark ph1000
TJones p0000
Totals33181Totals31040
Pittsburgh000000001--1
Cincinnati000000000--0
DP--Cincinnati 1. LOB--Pittsburgh 8, Cincinnati 8. 2B--Simon (4), Freel (8), JCastro (9). HR--Simon (1). CS--Kendall (5).
IPHRERBBSO
Pittsburgh
OlPerez7300313
Corey W,1-1100000
Mesa S,17110012
Cincinnati
Harang540037
GWhite220002
TJones L,5-2221101
WP--Harang. Umpires--Home, Larry Vanover; First, Sam Holbrook; Second, Paul Nauert; Third, Randy Marsh. T--2:51. A--41,376.
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