Reds fans were taken aback when Sparky Anderson showed up for his first day as a big league manager, an unknown taking over baseball’s first professional team. Most had never heard of him.

By the time he was done, he was an icon. The sentence-twisting manager with the white hair and schoolboy nickname would win [...]]]> Associated Press

Reds fans were taken aback when Sparky Anderson showed up for his first day as a big league manager, an unknown taking over baseball’s first professional team. Most had never heard of him.

By the time he was done, he was an icon. The sentence-twisting manager with the white hair and schoolboy nickname would win three World Series titles— including championships in both leagues—and make it to the Hall of Fame.

Anderson directed the Big Red Machine to back-to-back championships and won another in Detroit during a managing career that spanned three decades. He died Thursday from complications of dementia in Thousand Oaks, Calif., at age 76.

Anderson was the first manager to win World Series titles in both leagues and the only manager to lead two franchises in career wins.
Sparky Anderson in 1974.

Sparky Anderson in 1974.

“Sparky was, by far, the best manager I ever played for,” said former Reds star Pete Rose, the game’s career hits leader. “He understood people better than anyone I ever met. His players loved him, he loved his players, and he loved the game of baseball. There isn’t another person in baseball like Sparky Anderson.”

Anderson’s teams in Cincinnati—featuring Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Rose — won crowns in 1975 and 1976 and rank among the best of all time. Led by Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammell, Anderson won with the Tigers in 1984.

“He was a good guy,” former Tigers pitcher Jack Morris said, choking up over the news. “Baseball will have very few people like Sparky.”

Anderson never tried to overshadow his teams, giving his stars great leeway while trying to stay in the background. At Anderson’s request, there will be no funeral or memorial service.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig called Anderson a gentleman and dear friend.

“I recall with great fondness the many hours we would spend together when his Tigers came to Milwaukee,” Selig said. “Sparky was a loyal friend, and whenever I would be dealing with difficult situations as commissioner, he would lift my spirits, telling me to keep my head up and that I was doing the right thing.”

The Reds put a photo of Anderson on their outfield videoboard at Great American Ball Park on Thursday afternoon, honoring the man who led them to their greatest moments.

“In one way or another, Sparky touched the life of every Reds fan,” owner Bob Castellini said.

Anderson’s win total of 2,194 was the third highest when he retired after the 1995 season, trailing only Connie Mack and John McGraw. He’s now sixth on the career list—he won 863 games in nine years with the Reds and 1,331 in 17 seasons with the Tigers.

He’ll be remembered as much for the little things that made him beloved as for the big numbers that made him a Hall of Famer.
Reds manager Sparky Anderson and catcher Johnny Bench celebrate beating the Red Sox in Game 7 of the 1975 World Series.
(AP Photo)

“Being a good baseball player and person went hand-in-hand with him,” said Trammell, the 1984 World Series MVP who is Arizona’s bench coach. “He wanted us to put our dirty clothes in the bin so that the clubhouse guys didn’t have to pick up after us.”

George “Sparky” Anderson got his distinctive nickname in the minor leagues because of his spirited play. He made it to the majors for only one season, batting .218 for the Phillies in 1959.

Anderson learned to control a temper that nearly scuttled his fledgling career as a manager in the minors, and went on to become one of baseball’s best at running a team. And he won with a humility that couldn’t obscure his unique ability to manage people.

“I got good players, stayed out of their way, let them win a lot and then just hung around for 26 years,” he said during his Hall of Fame acceptance speech in 2000.

Anderson’s win total trails only those of Mack, McGraw, Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre. His overall record was 2,194-1834 and he was a two-time AL Manager of the Year.

“Sparky was one of the greatest people I’ve met in baseball,” Detroit Hall of Famer Al Kaline said. “He was a leader to his players both on and off the field. He was an incredible person and I cherish the time I was able to spend with him.”

He had the right touch with superstars, and it came in handy when he led the star-studded Reds to World Series wins in 1975-76.

“He was a people person,” Morgan, a Hall of Fame second baseman, told The Associated Press. “I don’t think anybody else could have managed that team nearly as well as he did. We had a lot of different personalities. Sparky was able to deal with all of us on an individual basis but also collectively as a team.

“Because he was close to you and cared about you as a person, you were always willing to do more for him than you were for somebody else. I never thought of him as my manager. I thought of him as part of my family.”

The only notable thing about Anderson as a player was his nickname. He was playing for Fort Worth in the Texas League in 1955 when a radio announcer, taken by his feisty play, started calling him Sparky.

The name stuck. He didn’t. Anderson made it to the majors in 1959 and singled home the go-ahead run on opening day in Cincinnati, which turned out to be the highlight of his playing career. A light-hitting second baseman, he had 12 extra-base hits—zero home runs—and 34 RBIs in 477 at-bats.

He was back in the minors the next year, and soon realized it was time to think about another career.
Tigers manager Sparky Anderson nibbles ribs in the dressing room on Oct. 13, 1984. The Tigers beat the Padres 5-2, to win the third game of the World Series.
(AP Photo/Rob Kozloff)

He decided to try managing.

That almost flamed out, too. His first job was managing a minor league team in Toronto in 1964. He was overly aggressive in his strategy and argued every close call with umpires, showing a short fuse that soon got him fired. Cardinals general manager Bob Howsam gave him a second chance to manage in the minors, then moved to Cincinnati to build the Reds.

When he needed a big league manager there, he decided to call Anderson, who was shocked to get the chance. The youngest manager in the majors at age 35, he signed the $28,500 contract—by far the most money he’d ever made—and set out to make himself known in a city asking: Sparky who?

“Bob Howsam either had to be nuts or have a lot of savvy,” Anderson said. “As it turns out, he had a lot of savvy.”

Howsam assembled one of the most talented teams of all time—Bench, Morgan, Rose, Tony Perez, Ken Griffey Sr., George Foster, Davey Concepcion. Anderson was charged with making it work.

Anderson’s plaque in Cooperstown calls him “the crank that turned the Big Red Machine,” and his players agree that it fit. Bench noted that Anderson treated his players respectfully and was always on top of game strategy.

“It’s a lot like a chess game, and Sparky was a chess master,” Bench said.

Anderson won four National League pennants in Cincinnati from 1970-78, then was stung when the Reds fired him after consecutive second-place finishes. Anderson took his disappointment to the other league and won there, too, directing the Tigers to the 1984 championship and a division title in 1987.

He refused to manage replacement players during baseball’s labor dispute in spring training of 1995, angering owner Mike Ilitch. He resigned after a 60-win season, saying the franchise needed a new direction. He hoped to manage somewhere else, but when an offer never came along, he retired.

He was voted into Cooperstown by the Veterans Committee.
Sparky Anderson, right, poses with his plaque and Commissioner Bub Selig during Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in 2000.
(AP Photo/ David Jennings)

Even then, he showed his usual self-deprecation. Anderson had refused to step foot inside the Hall until 2000 because he felt unworthy.

“I didn’t ever want to go into the most precious place in the world unless I belonged,” Anderson said.

Survivors include his wife, Carol; sons Lee and Albert; daughter Shirley Englebrecht; and nine grandchildren.

AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this report.

Jay Bruce returned from a two-week layoff and homered in each of his first two at-bats Monday night. Bruce missed the last two weeks because of a strained abdomen.

CINCINNATI — No one can call the Cincinnati Reds losers anymore.

Jay Bruce returned from a two-week layoff and homered in each of his first [...]]]> Associated Press

Jay Bruce returned from a two-week layoff and homered in each of his first two at-bats Monday night. Bruce missed the last two weeks because of a strained abdomen.

CINCINNATI — No one can call the Cincinnati Reds losers anymore.

Jay Bruce returned from a two-week layoff and homered in each of his first two at-bats Monday night, and the Reds went deep five times in all during a 7-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks that secured their first winning season since 2000.

The Reds’ nine-year streak of losing seasons was their longest in a half-century. The last time they finished above .500, Ken Griffey Jr. was in his first season with his hometown team.

“I don’t know if it means a lot to this group of guys,” starter Bronson Arroyo said. “We weren’t around for all the hard times. We’re a young team. For the organization and the city, it’s got to be satisfying.”

With each win, the NL Central leaders close in on another breakthrough — their first playoff appearance since 1995. They moved seven games ahead of second-place St. Louis, which lost to the Cubs 5-1.

“Winning the division is the next step,” manager Dusty Baker said. “The next step is the playoffs. We’ve got one step out of the way. There’s three or four more to go.”

They’re starting to get some of their injured players back along the way.

Bruce missed the last two weeks because of a strained abdomen. He hit a solo homer and a two-run shot off Barry Enright (6-4), and later added an RBI single.

When he got to the dugout after his second homer, catcher Ramon Hernandez had a question.

“He said, ‘That easy, huh?’ ” Bruce said. “I said, ‘No, it’s not that easy.’ ”

The Reds made it look easy all-around. Drew Stubbs, Joey Votto and Orlando Cabrera added solo homers. Arroyo (15-10) gave up a pair of solo shots in six innings while reaching 15 wins for the third straight season.

Miguel Montero and Ryan Church hit back-to-back homers in the second inning. Arroyo gave up seven hits overall and struck out a season-high eight even though he felt tired.

“The velocity was way down on my fastball,” said Arroyo, who was clocked around 84 mph. “You don’t have your zip sometimes.”

Cincinnati sold only 12,061 tickets — its smallest crowd this season — for the breakthrough win.

The Reds took two of three last weekend from Pittsburgh despite big problems in the bullpen, which blew three save chances and set up a pair of extra-inning games. The home run barrage prevented any late drama this time.

Arizona fell to 0-4 this season against Cincinnati. The Diamondbacks have lost eight of their last nine overall.

The Reds made a trade before the game to help their injury-thinned outfield, acquiring Willie Bloomquist from the Royals. Bloomquist will join the team on Tuesday.

Cincinnati played the weekend series against Pittsburgh with only two fully healthy experienced outfielders — Jonny Gomes in left and Stubbs in center. Bruce was originally out of Monday’s lineup, but Baker changed his mind because outfielder Chris Heisey was sore.

Bruce reassured Baker that he felt fine.

Better than fine, as it turned out.

“That was more than we could ask for right there,” Baker said. “It was a big day for Jay. It was a big day for us. We needed that badly.”

Bruce hit the fifth pitch he saw into the seats in right field, picking up his power surge. The outfielder was working on a stretch of five homers in four games when he pulled an abdominal muscle during batting practice on Aug. 31, forcing him from the lineup.

In his next at-bat, Bruce hit a two-run shot off Enright, who hadn’t allowed more than two homers in any of his other 13 starts during his debut season. Enright gave up seven hits and five runs in only three innings, by far his shortest start so far.

“Balls were middle-up and my breaking ball was flat,” he said.

Game notes

Diamondbacks 3B Mark Reynolds got a day of rest. He has a sore hand and is in an 0-for-23 slump. … Arizona called up C Konrad Schmidt, who batted .315 at Double-A Mobile. … Diamondbacks pinch-hitter Rusty Ryal fouled off 10 pitches with two strikes against LHP Bill Bray. He eventually struck out on the 16th pitch. … It was Bruce’s 19th multihomer game, his fourth this season. He hit three in a 7-1 win over the Cubs on Aug. 27 at Great American Ball Park. … Reds reliever Jordan Smith was ejected by plate umpire John Hirschbeck for complaining about ball-and-strike calls as he left the field. … Brandon Phillips ended an 0-for-15 slump with a single in the eighth.

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CINCINNATI — With only three weeks left in the regular season, the Reds added some bench depth by acquiring utility player Willie Bloomquist from the Royals for a player to be named or cash considerations.

Bloomquist was scratched from the Kansas City lineup Monday afternoon about a half-hour before a game against the A’s. [...]]]> Associated Press

CINCINNATI — With only three weeks left in the regular season, the Reds added some bench depth by acquiring utility player Willie Bloomquist from the Royals for a player to be named or cash considerations.

Bloomquist was scratched from the Kansas City lineup Monday afternoon about a half-hour before a game against the A’s. He wasn’t expected to join the Reds until Tuesday.

Able to play every position on the field, except pitcher and catcher, Bloomquist was hitting .265 in 72 games for the Royals with three homers, 17 RBIs and eight steals.

“He’s a much-needed guy,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “He plays all over everywhere. He plays good outfield, which is where we can really use him right now. He’s a good pinch-runner and pinch-hitter, especially against left-handed pitching. We need him right now. We’ve been searching for somebody like him for a couple of weeks.”

Bloomquist, a right-handed hitter who broke into the Majors with the Mariners in 2002, is a .275 lifetime hitter vs. lefties compared to .256 against right-handers. As a pinch-hitter, he’s batting .278.

To make room for Bloomquist on the 40-man roster, right-handed reliever Enerio Del Rosario was designated for assignment. Del Rosario spent most of the season at Triple-A Louisville but had a 2.08 ERA in nine big league appearances for the Reds.

The Reds had scouted Bloomquist lately and liked what they saw. They decided to go outside of the organization instead of calling up an outfielder like slugger Wladimir Balentien from Triple-A Louisville.

“We considered that, but right now, we need somebody that can play more positions,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. “This guy is a perfect guy for our situation. He’s a perfect National League player because he plays so many different positions.”

Because the trade was executed after Aug. 31, Bloomquist is ineligible for the Reds’ postseason roster. To replace a disabled player in the postseason, a player must have been in that organization prior to Aug. 31.

However, the roster has been banged up with injuries lately, and Cincinnati played 12 straight games with only three outfielders until Jay Bruce returned on Monday. Jim Edmonds is still working his way back from an oblique injury and Laynce Nix is on the disabled list with a sprained left ankle.

“We’ll have to be careful with Jay,” Jocketty said. “Edmonds is still not 100 percent when he gets back. Heisey is not 100 percent. We needed to have somebody and give these guys a little break from time to time.”

And for three weeks at least, that somebody is Bloomquist.

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Joey Votto led off the bottom of the 10th inning with his 33rd homer, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates

CINCINNATI—Even Joey Votto had to stop and watch this one.

Votto led off the bottom of the 10th inning with his 33rd homer, sending the Cincinnati Reds to [...]]]> Associated Press

Joey Votto led off the bottom of the 10th inning with his 33rd homer, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates

CINCINNATI—Even Joey Votto had to stop and watch this one.

Votto led off the bottom of the 10th inning with his 33rd homer, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night that extended their NL Central lead to a daunting seven games and left the crowd chanting “MVP!”

Votto hit the fourth pitch from Justin Thomas(0-1) toward the stands in left-center, dropped his bat and watched the first game-ending homer of his career.

“It was really cool,” Votto said.

After getting swamped by teammates at home plate, he took a curtain call for ending a back-and-forth game with one swing.

“Thank God for Joey Votto,” manager Dusty Baker said. “That was MVP stuff right there. That’s what people come to see. That’s what we’ve come to expect.”

Before the game, the Reds commemorated the 25th anniversary of Pete Rose’s record-setting hit No. 4,192 at Cinergy Field. The 69-year-old Rose got Major League Baseball’s permission to go on the field—otherwise prohibited under his lifetime ban for gambling—and step on first base while the crowd of 36,101 cheered.

Then, the Reds got a little closer to their first playoff appearance since 1995.

“Wow, wild game,” said Chris Heisey(notes), who tied it in the ninth with a double. “Sometimes you can’t describe it.”

Edinson Volquezdominated through seven innings, giving up only one single and fanning a season-high 10 before turning a 3-0 lead over to the Reds bullpen.

Neil Walker’stwo-run single past hard-throwing Aroldis Chapmancompleted Pittsburgh’s rally to a 4-3 lead in the eighth. Joel Hanrahanblew the save chance, giving up Heisey’s tying double.

“We did some very nice things in that eighth inning,” manager John Russell said. “It was real exciting. The guys have been doing some good things. The next step is winning.”

Pittsburgh rarely does that on the road. The Pirates are 14-55 on the road this season, dropping 17 of their last 18.

Francisco Cordero(6-4) pitched a perfect 10th for the win.

They’re already talking playoffs in Cincinnati, and Volquez put himself in the conversation with a dominating performance.

Baker has been trying to settle on a rotation with six currently healthy candidates. Right-hander Aaron Harangeliminated himself with two poor outings— he’s been moved to the bullpen.

Volquez returned in July after missing nearly a year because of reconstructive right elbow surgery. He was erratic and got sent to the minors on Aug. 31 to fix problems in his delivery. At that point, there was no telling whether he would be an integral part of the Reds’ late-September plans.

He was sharp with all his pitches against the NL’s worst team. Volquez gave up only one hit—Jose Tabata’ssingle that deflected off the end of shortstop Orlando Cabrera’sglove in the first inning.

“Volquez was really nasty,” Walker said.

Volquez had control of everything he threw, convincing the Reds that he’s back in form and belongs back in the rotation.

“When he does that, he’s about unhittable,” Baker said. “Volquez was masterful tonight. That’s the best he’s pitched since he’s been back.”

Walker’s single off Chapman extended his hitting streak to 17 games, the longest by a Pirates rookie since Rennie Stennett hit in 18 straight in 1971.

Game notes

Tabata’s single was his 100th hit. He and Walker are the first Pirates rookies to have 100 hits in the same season since Jose Guillenand Tony Womack did it in 1997. … Heisey had a sore arm, leaving the Reds short-handed in the outfield. Miguel Cairomade his third career start in RF, his first since 2005. Heisey got into the game as a defensive replacement and wound up playing a pivotal role in the ninth-inning comeback.

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Homer Bailey throws against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 10, 2010

CINCINNATI — A broken-bat grounder. A low throw. A dropped ball. A lot of things went right to help the Cincinnati Reds break out of their deepest slump of the season.

They’ll take it all.

Francisco [...]]]> Associated Press

Homer Bailey throws against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 10, 2010

CINCINNATI — A broken-bat grounder. A low throw. A dropped ball. A lot of things went right to help the Cincinnati Reds break out of their deepest slump of the season.

They’ll take it all.

Francisco Cordero blew a two-run lead in the ninth, but the Reds recovered on Jonny Gomes’ bases-loaded grounder in the 12th inning Friday night, getting a slump-busting 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The NL Central leaders had dropped a season-high five in a row, whittling their lead over St. Louis from eight to five games. The Reds’ comeback win and the Cardinals’ 8-6 loss in Atlanta rebuilt the cushion to six.

“It’s been a while since we celebrated,” manager Dusty Baker said. “It feels like a month.”

The slump lasted only a week. It ended with more drama.

Chris Heisey started the 12th with a bunt single off Wilfredo Ledezma (0-2), who then hit Joey Votto. Scott Rolen singled off Joel Hanrahan to load the bases. Gomes broke his bat on a soft grounder to shortstop Ronny Cedeno, whose low throw to the plate bounced off the mitt of catcher Chris Snyder for an error, allowing Heisey to score.

“Bases loaded, nobody out, put it in play and anything’s possible,” Gomes said. “I shattered my bat.”

Plate umpire Tim Timmons was ready to call Heisey out when he saw the ball drop from Snyder’s glove.

“I botched it,” Snyder said. “Inexcusable. I just clanked it. Ronny did everything he could. That’s a tough play on his end. I had to pick him up. I didn’t do it.”

Jordan Smith (2-2) retired the last two Pirates.

The Reds had to go 12 innings — matching their longest game of the season — to pull it out after Cordero failed.

Cordero came on with a 3-1 lead in the ninth and let it slip away in 15 pitches. He gave up singles to four of his five batters, including run-scoring hits by Jose Tabata and Pedro Alvarez. It was Cordero’s seventh blown save in 42 chances, ending his streak of 11 straight.

“To [Cordero's] credit, he hasn’t been out there in six days,” Baker said. “Before that, he was throwing great.”

Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman pitched the 11th, fanning two of the three Pirates. Eight of his 10 pitches hit triple digits on the radar gun, topping out at 103 mph.

The Reds have won 19 of their last 25 games against the Pirates, who have clinched their record 18th straight losing season. With 80 wins, Cincinnati is on the verge of emerging from its longest losing streak in a half-century — no winning record since 2000.

Until Cordero’s meltdown, right-hander Homer Bailey was in line to win his sixth straight against the Pirates. The right-hander struck out a career-high nine in seven innings, allowing only Snyder’s solo homer.

Bailey is 5-0 in six career starts against Pittsburgh with a 1.52 ERA. Five of his 15 career wins are against Pittsburgh.

The Reds scored three runs with two outs in the third inning off left-hander Paul Maholm. Rolen had an RBI double, Drew Stubbs singled for a 2-1 lead, and Paul Janish singled home another run. Janish, filling in at shortstop while Orlando Cabrera recovers from a strained abdomen, has hit safely in a season-high seven games.

Pittsburgh’s Neil Walker turned 25 and singled off Cordero in the ninth, extending his career-best hitting streak to 16 games. It’s the longest by a Pirates rookie since Rennie Stennett hit in 18 straight in 1971.

Votto turned 27 and went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He was also hit by a pitches twice.

Game notes

The Pirates released INF Akinori Iwamura, who batted .182 in 54 games. C Erik Kratz cleared waivers and was assigned outright to the minors. … The Reds activated OF Jim Edmonds (strained abdominal muscle) and RH Mike Leake (tired pitching shoulder) off the 15-day DL. Leake won’t pitch for now, but could be used to hit or run. … Bench coach Chris Speier coached third base in place of Mark Berry, who had a sore back.

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7:10 PM ET, September 11, 2010 Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

Edinson Volquez is getting another chance to find a place in the Cincinnati Reds’ rotation.

Recalled from the minors, Volquez looks to help the NL Central-leading Reds to a second straight victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday [...]]]> STATS LLC

7:10 PM ET, September 11, 2010 Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

Edinson Volquez is getting another chance to find a place in the Cincinnati Reds’ rotation.

Recalled from the minors, Volquez looks to help the NL Central-leading Reds to a second straight victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night at Great American Ballpark.

Volquez (3-2, 6.17 ERA) returns to the majors after spending time at Class-A Dayton to work on his mechanics. The right-hander has been erratic since he returned in July after missing a year because of reconstructive elbow surgery. He is now taking the place of the struggling Aaron Harang, who has been moved to the bullpen.

Volquez, who allowed 10 runs and walked six in 5 1/3 innings while going 0-1 in his last two major league starts, posted a 1.38 ERA in two outings at Dayton.

“Nobody wants to go down,” Volquez told the Reds’ official website. “I knew I had to pitch somewhere to find my rhythm. Sometimes you have to go back to go forward. It didn’t bother me.”

Volquez is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts against the Pirates, but has not faced them since 2008.

He’ll try to help the Reds (80-61) win consecutive games for the first time this month after they snapped a five-game skid with a 4-3, 12-inning win over Pittsburgh on Friday.

“It’s been a while since we celebrated,” manager Dusty Baker said after his team extended its lead over St. Louis in the Central to six games. “It feels like a month.”

Francisco Cordero blew a two-run lead in the ninth, but the Reds won three innings later on a bases-loaded grounder off the bat of Jonny Gomes. Scott Rolen and Paul Janish had two hits and an RBI each as the Reds, who had just finished a 1-6 road trip, won their fifth straight home game .

The Reds, who have won 19 of their last 25 meetings with the Pirates (47-93), need two more victories to clinch their first winning season since 2000.

Rolen is 7 for 17 with five RBIs in his last four games at Great American Ballpark. He is 4 for 10 with a homer off scheduled Pittsburgh starter Charlie Morton (1-11, 9.66).

The right-hander, 0-6 with a 9.00 ERA since beating the Cubs on May 5, allowed six runs — two earned — over 3 2/3 innings of an 8-1 loss to Washington on Sunday — his second start since coming off the disabled list with shoulder fatigue.

“He’s not where we’d like to get him,” manager John Russell told the Pirates’ official website.

Morton is 1-4 with a 6.84 lifetime ERA against the Reds, including 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA this season.

The Pirates have lost 11 of their last 13 games at Cincinnati, including three in a row. They are a major league-worst 14-54 on the road, where they have dropped 16 of their last 17 overall.

Pittsburgh second baseman Neil Walker is batting .366 with 16 RBIs during a career-high 16-game hitting streak — the longest by a Pirates rookie since 1971, when Rennie Stennett hit in 18 straight.

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Cueto and the Reds lost to Colorado Rockies 4-3 Tuesday night before a crowd of 29,164 at Coors Field.

DENVER — Carlos Gonzalez is hearing something other than the crack of his bat at home plate in Coors Field.

Colorado Rockies fans have started paying homage to the outfielder, chanting “M-V-P” in recognition of [...]]]> Associated Press

Cueto and the Reds lost to Colorado Rockies 4-3 Tuesday night before a crowd of 29,164 at Coors Field.

DENVER — Carlos Gonzalez is hearing something other than the crack of his bat at home plate in Coors Field.

Colorado Rockies fans have started paying homage to the outfielder, chanting “M-V-P” in recognition of his memorable season.

Gonzalez hit a three-run homer to help the rolling Rockies beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 on Tuesday night for their fifth consecutive win.

Gonzalez’s homer in the opening inning was his 32nd of the season and gave him 100 RBIs. He’s in prime position to challenge for the NL Triple Crown, leading in average (.340), taking over the top spot in RBIs and vaulting into a third-place tie with Joey Votto and Mark Reynolds in homers.

These day, the best way to pitch to Gonzalez may be to not pitch to him at all.

“What we’re watching and witnessing right now offensively, obviously for a kid in the early stage of his career that he’s in, it’s something special. There’s no question about it,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.

And it doesn’t end with his offense. The player teammates refer to as “CarGo” also has quite the left arm, demonstrating that in the fifth when he raced over in left to scoop up a ball, twirled and fired a strike to second to nip Brandon Phillips as he tried to stretch a single into extra bases.

His scorching play is definitely rubbing off on the Rockies.

Led by Gonzalez’s breakout season, the Rockies have climbed back into the thick of the wild card race. They’re now 4 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves, who were passed up in the NL East by Philadelphia on Tuesday. They’re also 4 1/2 behind San Diego in the NL West.

“We’re not done yet,” said Gonzalez, who extended his hitting streak to a career-high 15 games. “I’m happy I got to 100, but there’s more to come. We need to concentrate and do our best right now.”

Cincinnati dropped its third straight, but still maintained a six-game lead over St. Louis, which lost to Milwaukee 4-2.

“Fortunately for us we didn’t lose any ground,” Red manager Dusty Baker said. “It’s one less day on the schedule. We need to win these next two games.”

Jhoulys Chacin (8-9) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings for Colorado. The rookie right-hander has been stellar of late, turning in four consecutive outings of two earned runs or less.

“I felt really good out there,” he said. “My fastball was really good today.”

Johnny Cueto (12-5) was back with the Reds after missing a few days to attend the funeral of a family member in the Dominican Republic. The righty made an early mistake to Gonzalez but then settled in, lasting six innings and giving up four runs, three earned.

“It was tough, but I don’t take those things into the game,” Cueto said through an interpreter. “What happened, happened. I have it in my heart. And when I go there [the mound], I put my best in my job. This is my job.”

Miguel Olivo drove in what proved to be the decisive run with an RBI double in the sixth. The inning was set up when the normally sure-handed Phillips booted Seth Smith’s two-out grounder to second.

A hustling Votto paved the way for a two-run fourth inning.

With two outs and two on, Ramon Hernandez hit a grounder to third baseman Melvin Mora, who tried to beat Votto to the bag instead of throwing to first. Votto was safe by a step and Drew Stubbs followed with a two-run single just over the head of shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, cutting the deficit to 3-2.

Gonzalez got the Rockies going early, hitting a drive to left after Eric Young Jr. and Dexter Fowler led off with singles.

An inning later, with runners on second and third and two outs, the Reds elected to intentionally walk Gonzalez — a ploy that paid off as Tulowitzki grounded out to end the threat.

That’s the way teams may start pitching to Gonzalez, especially with Gonzalez seeing the ball so well.

“Not every at-bat,” he said, grinning. “If I feel the same way every at-bat, I’d be a machine.”

Game notes

Reds OF Jay Bruce (right side strain) took 50 swings in the indoor batting cage and is scheduled to take batting practice Wednesday. He probably won’t play in the series with the Rockies, but may over the weekend against Pittsburgh. … Rockies LHP Jeff Francis (shoulder soreness) threw a light bullpen session Tuesday.

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ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals handled the Cincinnati Reds again. Small consolation for a team that’s seven games back in the NL Central because they can’t beat anybody else in the division.

Matt Holliday hit a go-ahead, three-run homer to back Chris Carpenter’s latest dominant effort against Cincinnati in a 4-2 victory [...]]]> Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals handled the Cincinnati Reds again. Small consolation for a team that’s seven games back in the NL Central because they can’t beat anybody else in the division.

Matt Holliday hit a go-ahead, three-run homer to back Chris Carpenter’s latest dominant effort against Cincinnati in a 4-2 victory Sunday as the Cardinals took two of three from the division-leading Reds.

Cincinnati has a formidable lead over St. Louis, which has only 28 games to go, and the teams don’t play again this season.

“We’ve got to win games, no matter who we’re playing,” Carpenter said.

St. Louis had lost eight of nine overall going into the weekend, their only three games at home in a stretch of 20 games. Although they finished 12-6 against the Reds, they’re 20-24 against the rest of the Central.

This was its first series win since Aug. 20-22 against San Francisco.

“We’ve got a pulse,” shortstop Brendan Ryan said. “I think this was a nice breath of fresh air, coming home and beating the Reds.”

Hearing sellout crowds boo Brandon Phillips all weekend, too.

Not that it seemed to bother the Reds’ second baseman.

“So, you want to ask me about the booing?” Phillips said. “The booing didn’t do anything to me. It was funny, everything was funny. I was laughing the whole time.”

Homer Bailey (3-3) walked Albert Pujols intentionally in the sixth inning before giving up Holliday’s two-out shot on a 1-2 hanging breaking ball. Holliday fouled off two pitches before hitting his 25th homer, topping last season’s total and giving the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.

“I thought that was my only mistake the whole day,” Bailey said. “And it ended up costing us the game.”

Bailey agreed with manager Dusty Baker’s decision to make Holliday beat him, rather than a three-time NL MVP.

“Like Dusty said, it’s just kind of picking your poison,” Bailey said. “They’re both hitting over .300, they both have 25-30 home runs. What can you do?”

Holliday has conceded to pressing at times to justify his seven-year, $120 million contract, yet he leads the team with 43 two-out RBIs. The homer was his second after an intentional walk to Pujols, who leads the majors with 33.

“I get gratification for doing something to help the team win as opposed to thumbing my noise at the other team,” Holliday said. “That doesn’t really mean much to me.”

Carpenter (15-5) struck out a season-high 11 in 7 1-3 innings. He’s 5-0 with a 1.78 ERA in five starts against the Reds this season and has a club-record 10-game winning streak against them dating to his last loss in June 2006.

“This was a much bigger game for us than it was for them,” manager Tony La Russa said. “And Carp showed up, like he always does.”

The right-hander struck out five straight batters in the sixth and seventh and exceeded his previous season best of 10 strikeouts done twice in April. He had totaled 11 strikeouts in his previous four starts.

Carpenter has feasted on Central opponents, going 18-4 the last two seasons and is 44-16 overall with a 2.75 ERA.

Bailey allowed four runs in six innings and fell to 1-4 with a 6.02 ERA against St. Louis. He had been 2-0 since coming off the 15-day disabled list from shoulder inflammation in mid-August, and the Reds lost for the first time in one of his starts since May 23 at Cleveland.

The Reds had success against last year’s Cy Young runner-up only in the fifth when Phillips hit a bloop double to set up Orlando Cabrera’s two-run double.

The Cardinals also scored in the fifth when Colby Rasmus led off with a double and eventually scored on Pedro Feliz’s groundout.

Ryan Franklin worked the ninth for his 24th save in 26 opportunities.

Game notes

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto, who missed the series attending to a family emergency in the Dominican Republic, was supposed to meet the team at the St. Louis airport before flying to Colorado for a four-game series. … Holliday leads the Cardinals with 41 multihit games, two more than Pujols. … Carpenter has 15 career double-digit strikeout games. … Reds OF Jay Bruce (right side) missed his fifth straight start. … Feliz’s fielding error at 3B on Phillips’ grounder to start the game was his first in 16 games since joining the Cardinals.

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Bronson Arroyo pitched well, but not quite well enough Saturday night as the Cubs edged the Reds at Great American Ball Park.

CINCINNATI — One bad fastball turned into Bronson Arroyo’s undoing.

Kosuke Fukudome hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer off Arroyo, and the Chicago Cubs finally ended years of futility against the right-hander [...]]]> Associated Press

Bronson Arroyo pitched well, but not quite well enough Saturday night as the Cubs edged the Reds at Great American Ball Park.

CINCINNATI — One bad fastball turned into Bronson Arroyo’s undoing.

Kosuke Fukudome hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer off Arroyo, and the Chicago Cubs finally ended years of futility against the right-hander by beating the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 on Saturday night.

Fukudome’s homer in the fifth inning sent Arroyo (14-8) to his first loss against the Cubs since 2007. Arroyo had won his last five decisions against Chicago, including his two starts this season. He felt good in this one, too.

“I had command of my fastball, which doesn’t always happen,” Arroyo said. “I kept the ball down, for the most part.”

A fastball that strayed right down the middle to Fukudome allowed the Cubs to get that breakthrough win.

Randy Wells (6-12) got a victory on his 28th birthday — his first win since July 23. Wells limited the NL’s top offense to five hits and a pair of runs in six innings, including Joey Votto’s solo homer. Chicago’s bullpen allowed only one hit, with Carlos Marmol pitching the ninth for his 24th save in 29 tries.

It was only Chicago’s fourth win in 15 games against Cincinnati this season.

Despite the loss, the Reds remained four games ahead of St. Louis in the NL Central. The Cardinals lost to Washington 14-5, their fourth loss in five games. Since getting swept by St. Louis, the Reds have gone 10-4 to take control of the division.

The Reds didn’t lose ground despite playing short-handed. Second baseman Brandon Phillips missed a second straight game with a bruised right hand. Outfielder Laynce Nix has a sprained ankle, and infielder Miguel Cairo has a sore leg.

“That’s good, especially with our bench beat up,” manager Dusty Baker said. “We didn’t have Nix. Brandon wasn’t available. And we couldn’t use Cairo.”

Nobody on Cincinnati’s staff handles the Cubs as well as Arroyo, who has dominated the middle of their lineup. Arroyo made two other starts against the Cubs this season and didn’t allow a run in 13 innings, going 2-0.

Nobody in the Cubs’ lineup had worse career numbers against Arroyo than Fukudome, who was 1-for-16 coming in. On Saturday, he hit everything hard.

Fukudome sent Jay Bruce to the right-field wall to catch his fly ball in his first at-bat. The next time up, there was no doubt about the distance. His two-run shot landed deep in the Cubs’ bullpen in right field and put Chicago up 3-1. Fukudome also singled in the seventh, giving him more hits in one game against Arroyo than he had previously in his career.

Since the All-Star break, Fukudome is batting .338.

“Fuke has been swinging the bat really good,” manager Mike Quade said. “We’ve got four outfielders playing really well, so somebody is not going to play each night. Tonight was his night.”

Xavier Nady also hit a solo homer off Arroyo, who gave up five hits in seven innings. It was Nady’s first homer since June 10.

Votto hit his 32nd homer off Wells in the fourth inning — he trails Cardinals star Albert Pujols for the NL lead. Ryan Hanigan also singled home a run in the sixth off Wells, who had gone 0-5 with a 6.23 ERA in his last six starts.

“It’s been a rough year, but who knows?” Wells said. “You’ve got six or seven starts left, you rattle off some victories and put yourself in a respectable position. That’s what I’m aiming for.”

There were thousands of blue-shirted Cubs fans in the crowd of 41,292, the eighth capacity crowd at Great American Ball Park this season.

Game notes

The Cubs are 4-1 under Quade, who took over when Lou Piniella retired on Sunday. … The Cubs have played 47 one-run games, most in the NL. They’re 17-30 in those games. … The Reds moved RHP Edinson Volquez into the bullpen, giving him a chance to fix flaws in his delivery. Rookie Travis Wood will start in his place Sunday in the final game of the series. … SS Orlando Cabrera has been told to rest for a few days, giving strained abdominal muscles more healing time. He’s been on the DL since Aug. 2. Cabrera has been hitting and running, but the injury still bothers him when he throws.

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Adam Dunn broke out of a prolonged slump with a homer and five RBI, helping the Washington Nationals to a 14-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.

WASHINGTON — Nationals manager Jim Riggleman had a hunch and it paid off. So did Adam Dunn’s video session, which discovered an easily [...]]]> Associated Press

Adam Dunn broke out of a prolonged slump with a homer and five RBI, helping the Washington Nationals to a 14-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.

WASHINGTON — Nationals manager Jim Riggleman had a hunch and it paid off. So did Adam Dunn’s video session, which discovered an easily correctible mechanical flaw.

Dunn broke out of a prolonged slump with a homer and five RBIs, sending Washington to a 14-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.

“We needed a win — bad,” said Michael Morse, who had a career-high four hits. “The bats came alive.”

Dunn was in an 8-for-66 skid over 20 games when he doubled home two runs for a 4-3 Nationals lead in a four-run third inning. With the score tied at 5 in the fifth, Dunn hit a three-run shot, his 32nd of the season and first since Aug. 11.

“I wouldn’t say I’m out of [the slump],” Dunn said. “The last couple of days I’ve been feeling really good and taking some good swings, trying to figure out why I was missing some pitches. We went back and looked over some tape and it was just a minor mechanical deal.”

Dunn was shuffled from cleanup to fifth in Riggleman’s new-look batting order, which produced the most runs the Nationals have scored at home since relocating from Montreal to Washington before the 2005 season.

“We were just trying to get some people a little different feel when they went up to the plate,” Riggleman said.

Dunn, however, downplayed the effect of the reconfigured lineup.

“I could care less where I hit,” he said.

Roger Bernadina, moved to third in the order, homered for the Nationals, who had lost five of six.

Livan Hernandez (9-9) allowed five runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings to win for the first time in five starts.

But the Nationals had to overcome two wacky interference calls that went against them and wiped runs off the scoreboard.

“We scored a lot of runs. We fight and fight to try and survive,” Hernandez said.

All eight of the runs St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse allowed came with two outs.

“I would get two outs and just couldn’t put them away for the third out. I just made a lot of bad pitches when it got to two outs,” he said.

The Cardinals took a 3-0 lead in the first. Skip Schumaker singled, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Albert Pujols’ ground-rule double down the left-field line. After Matt Holliday popped out, Jon Jay homered to right, his fourth of the season.

Ivan Rodriguez’s RBI single got Washington on the board in the second.

The Nationals went ahead 5-3 in the third, and a controversial interference call might have cost them another run.

With Hernandez and Adam Kennedy on via singles, Ian Desmond tried to bunt the runners up. Desmond’s sacrifice was a beauty and Lohse threw wildly past first, allowing Hernandez to score. But Desmond was called out by plate umpire Dan Bellino for running inside the baseline and the sacrifice was nullified.

After Bernadina was called out on strikes, Ryan Zimmerman singled a run home, Dunn hit a two-run double and Morse added an RBI single.

RBI doubles by Lohse and Felipe Lopez tied it in the St. Louis fifth.

In the bottom of the inning, Bernadina and Zimmerman singled with two down before Dunn drove a 3-2 fastball from Lohse into the first row of the center-field stands.

“That ball to Dunn,” Lohse said, “it just ran right back, inner third. Just stupid things like that cost your team a chance to win.”

Lohse (2-6) lasted five innings, yielding eight runs and 11 hits.

Rodriguez had another RBI single in a six-run eighth and pinch-hitter Willie Harris appeared to hit a three-run double only to have Nyjer Morgan called out at home on a weird play. Morgan collided with catcher Bryan Anderson in front of the plate and missed touching home. Third base umpire Angel Hernandez ruled Morgan out because Rodriguez, who had just scored on the play, grabbed Morgan around the waist and pushed him back toward the plate.

Until postgame replays proved otherwise to him, Morgan was convinced he had touched home. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa bristled at the notion that the call was out of the ordinary.

“[Morgan] misses the plate and gets interfered [with] — where’s the crazy call? What’s crazy about it?” La Russa said. “No, it’s the rule. They screwed up twice and they got nailed for it twice.”

Anderson was miffed that Morgan ran into him, calling the play “a cheap shot.”

“I turned around and said some things to [Morgan],” Anderson said. “I mean, it’s going to take a little bit bigger of a guy to take me down.”

Kennedy singled home Harris for a 12-5 lead, and Bernadina later homered to right-center.

Game notes

Morgan batted eighth for the first time this season. … St. Louis RHP Ryan Franklin (stiff neck) was unavailable. … Washington first base coach Dan Radison and LHP Scott Olsen were ejected for arguing the interference call against Desmond. … Nineteen of the 56 runs Lohse has allowed this season have come in the third inning.

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