Four homers send Reds to loss

CINCINNATI -- When Pete Mackanin debuted as the Reds interim manager Tuesday, they were flying high after finding some long-awaited pitching success in their win over the Giants.

On Wednesday, though, pitching brought Mackanin and the Reds back down to earth as they lost to the Giants, 9-5, at Great American Ball Park.

The trouble didn't start immediately for starter Matt Belisle, who faced the minimum nine batters over the first three innings. But in the fifth, four Giants singles by Dave Roberts, Randy Winn (who drove in a run), Ryan Klesko and Rich Aurilia loaded the bases on Belisle. Then Fred Lewis' grand slam cleared them, giving San Francisco a 5-3 lead.

"I felt very confident coming in [on the plate] there and staying away from the fat part of the bat, but [Lewis] pulled his hands in," Belisle said.

Belisle didn't have long to make any adjustments after the five-run Giants fourth inning. Mackanin pinch-hit Norris Hopper for Belisle in the bottom half of the frame.

Belisle (5-6) gave up the five fourth-inning earned runs on six total hits over four innings to take the loss. He threw 61 pitches, with 42 strikes.

"I don't know if I'm a quick hook or not," Mackanin said in regard to replacing Belisle after four innings. "For me, we've got to win, and basically what it boils down to, to me, is when he got into that little bit of adversity, I didn't like the quality of the stuff afterwards. I can't take the chance.

"So, if I sent him out the next inning and he doesn't have command of his pitches and gets in trouble, I'm going to have to go to somebody else. I'd rather go to somebody else and get them a fresh start from the beginning [of an inning]. For me, I think Matt Belisle is at that stage where he's going to be a good pitcher. He just needs to learn how to get out of those tough jams when he gets into trouble."

Belisle was asked if he expected to be taken out after the fourth.

"Not at all," he said with a pause. "I didn't see it coming. Obviously, I gave up a grand slam, but I didn't see that coming."

The Giants tacked on two security runs off reliever Ricky Stone in the sixth inning. With two outs, Ray Durham and Rich Aurilia hit back-to-back solo home runs to make it a 7-3 game. The Giants logged four home runs in the game.

The Reds' pitching woes weren't helped by the team's offense, which again struggled with clutch hitting. Cincinnati batters went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.

"We had a chance to blow it open," Mackanin said. "I think we have had our share of problems, from what I understand and what I've seen in the bullpen, but when you get a little bit of a lead, it's nice to add on to really get to somebody."

Giants starter Matt Cain (3-9) pitched well enough to earn the win, holding Cincinnati to four earned runs on nine hits with two walks and six strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.

The Reds did have one pitching bright spot, if a relatively minor one. Reliever Mike Gosling held the Giants scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings, allowing two hits with two walks and three strikeouts. The game was delayed for 51 minutes in the middle of the eighth inning due to rain.

Cincinnati took an early 3-0 lead by way of a second-inning RBI single by Juan Castro and a third-inning two-run single by Ken Griffey Jr. before San Francisco's five-run fourth swung the momentum to the Giants' side. Scott Hatteberg and Edwin Encarnacion later tacked on RBIs in the sixth and ninth innings, respectively.

After watching the Reds pitching staff firsthand for two games, Mackanin said he believes the group is close to finding success, but needs to make a move towards consistency.

"You see so much good potential and good arm strength [in the Reds pitching staff], it's like you're on that fence, waiting for somebody to fall off on the right side, and they keep falling off on the wrong side," he said. "But you've got to keep battling, got to stay positive and keep working and take your licks and hope that you learn either by osmosis or getting sent into the Minors for some seasoning."