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Major League Baseball
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Cincinnati 4, Pittsburgh 3
When: 1:35 PM ET, Sunday, September 30, 2012
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Temperature: 55°
Umpires: Home - Mark Carlson, 1B - Angel Hernandez, 2B - Ed Hickox, 3B - Chris Conroy
Attendance: 32814

Reds 4, Pirates 3:
Zack Cozart’s RBI double with two outs in the top of the ninth inning capped a two-run uprising as visiting Cincinnati assured Pittsburgh of a losing campaign.

Pinch hitter Xavier Paul led off the ninth with a home run off Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan (5-2) to tie the game. Ryan Ludwick doubled with two outs and Cozart doubled home pinch runner Denis Phipps to help hand Pittsburgh its 18th loss in 23 games.

Sean Marshall (5-5) recorded two outs in the eighth and Aroldis Chapman worked out of a ninth-inning jam by striking out the final two batters for his 37th save for the Reds. The Pirates' record dipped to 78-82, marking the franchise’s 20th consecutive losing season.

Johnny Cueto allowed three runs - one earned - and six hits in seven innings. He was attempting to become the Reds’ first 20-game winner since Danny Jackson posted 23 victories in 1988.

The Reds jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a run-scoring double by Joey Votto and Todd Frazier’s RBI groundout. Pittsburgh tied the contest in the bottom of the inning on a two-run homer by Garrett Jones and took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Andrew McCutchen.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Reds manager Dusty Baker is slated to return Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals after missing 11 games due to a minor stroke and irregular heartbeat. Bench coach Chris Speier has served as acting manager in Baker's absence. … Pirates starter Wandy Rodriguez struck out seven and gave up two runs and six hits in six innings. … Ludwick (groin) was a late scratch from the starting lineup because of the wet playing surface. He hasn’t started since Sept. 19 due to the ailment.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
Cincinnati   Pittsburgh
Johnny Cueto Player Wandy Rodriguez
No Decision W/L No Decision
7.0 IP 6.0
6 Strikeouts 7
6 Hits 6
1.29 ERA 3.00
Hitting
Cincinnati   Pittsburgh
Miguel CairoPlayer Rod Barajas
2 Hits 2
0 RBI 0
0 HR 0
3 TB 2
.667 Avg .500
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
Cincinnati 10 1 17 .270 12 12 4 1 0 3
Pittsburgh 7 1 11 .212 12 9 3 3 0 0