Reds beat Pittsburgh on pop-fly

Ken Griffey Jr.’s pop-fly single fell among three fielders for a 5-4 win.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Alex Gonzalez scored from first base on Ken Griffey Jr.’s pop-fly single that fell among three Pirates fielders in the ninth inning, and the Cincinnati Reds overcame Adam Dunn’s baserunning mistake that cost them two runs in a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night.

With Griffey getting three hits and scoring twice, the Reds came back from deficits of 2-0 and 4-3 to win their eighth in 10 games and split the four-game series despite being swept in a doubleheader Tuesday. The Pirates lost their fourth in 13 games.

Jared Burton (4-1) won it despite allowing Jose Bautista’s two-run homer that put the Pirates up 4-3 in the seventh. David Weathers finished up in the ninth for his 29th save in 34 opportunities, but only because of an exceptional play by second baseman Brandon Phillips.

Reds’ defense delivers

After Josh Phelps doubled with two outs, the Pirates appeared to tie it on Nate McLouth’s single into short right. But Phillips hustled to run the ball down and, falling backward, made a strong throw that allowed catcher Javier Valentin to tag Phelps about shoulder high. Phelps apparently thought he would score easily and did not slide.

In the top of the inning, Griffey’s blooper off Matt Capps (4-6) couldn’t be handled by Pirates shortstop Cesar Izturis, third baseman Bautista or left fielder Jason Bay, allowing Gonzalez to score from first. Izturis appeared to have a chance to make the play, but Bautista got in his way as Izturis stuck his glove out.

Bautista had put Pittsburgh up with his homer, but the Reds tied it in the eighth against Shawn Chacon on Edwin Encarnacion’s RBI single — his second hit of the game.

If not for Dunn’s mistake, it would have been his third hit.

Two runs erased

The Reds had two runs erased when, with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth, Griffey, who was on third, and Dunn, who was on second, came home standing up on Encarnacion’s line drive to left field.

But the Pirates successfully appealed that Dunn failed to touch third, and he was called out on what became a force play.

The ruling led to some brief confusion — the scoreboard changed from 2-2 to 2-1, and finally, back to a 2-0 Pirates lead — and prompted a long discussion between third base umpire Chris Guccione, crew chief Wally Bell and Reds interim manager Pete Mackanin. The only available TV replay was inconclusive.

Baseball rule 7.12 states that when a runner misses a base: “If, upon appeal, the preceding runner is the third out, no runners following him shall score. If the third out is the result of a force play, neither preceding nor following runners shall score.”