The Reds were eight runs behind with one out in the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates - Edwin Encarnacion on second, Bruce on first.

Ramon Hernandez drilled one to deep center and Bruce bolted around the bases, nearly running Encarnacion over between short and third.

Encarnacion physically stopped Bruce and spun him back toward first because Nate McLouth was about to catch the ball. McLouth's throw to first easily doubled up Bruce. Game over.

"I don't know what I was thinking - I wasn't thinking," Bruce said. "Absolutely no excuse for that. A lack of focus, and I have to do a better job."

Asked if mental errors are more heart-ripping than physical errors, Bruce said, "Absolutely. Physical errors you have no control over and it happens. Mental errors, especially something like that. Blatant. One out, down nine runs. My run doesn't mean anything. I didn't give us a chance."

For Baker, it was bad enough the Reds had only six hits, three in seven innings against left-handed starter Paul Maholm.

And it was bad enough that starter Johnny Cueto gave up a two-run homer in the first and four runs and eight hits over six innings.

And it was bad enough that relief pitcher Mike Lincoln turned a 5-1 deficit in the ninth inning into 10-1 by giving up back-to-back home runs, including a grand slam to Ryan Doumit.

But the mental gaffes hurt most.

"It is just frustrating to play bad Baseball and do things that we should know better than to do," Baker said. "We have to play better Baseball with our heads up instead of our heads down. If you don't, you see what happens."