McLouth, in his second game back after missing six with a strained right oblique, is 6-for-10 with a homer, five RBI and five runs in three Saturday games this season. The Pirates are 4-0 on Saturdays this season, including 2-0 against the Reds, and are averaging 9.5 runs in those games.

The Pirates also ended a 22{1/3}-inning scoreless streak, dating to Wednesday's 1-0 loss at Milwaukee, with a four-run first inning. They duplicated Friday's first inning by getting their first two batters on base, after Nyjer Morgan and Freddy Sanchez both singled to right field.

Under the same circumstances, McLouth hit into a double play Friday night. This time, he smacked a liner that bounced and skipped over the shoulder of second baseman Brandon Phillips to score Morgan for a 1-0 lead.

With the bases loaded after Adam LaRoche drew a walk, Reds pitcher Micah Owings hit Andy LaRoche with a pitch to score Sanchez and make it 2-0. Ramon Vazquez slapped a two-run single down the right-field line, scoring McLouth and Adam LaRoche for a 4-0 lead.

McLouth smacked a single up the middle, advanced to third on Adam LaRoche's single to center ? LaRoche was thrown out rounding first base ? and scored on Brandon Moss' single to right to make it 5-0.

The Reds responded with a three-run fourth, thanks to shortstop Alex Gonzalez's shot off the left-field foul pole that scored Ramon Hernandez and Adam Rosales to cut it to 5-3. It was the sixth consecutive game the Pirates have given up a home run, and they have allowed 10 in that span.

McLouth also made a pair of nice plays in the field. The Gold Glove centerfielder's diving catch robbed Willy Taveras of a base hit to the right-center gap in the fourth, and his over-the-shoulder grab of a Ramon Hernandez blast to the warning track ended the fifth.

Ross Ohlendorf (3-2) outdueled Owings (1-3), giving up three runs on six hits in six innings. More importantly, Ohlendorf prevented Owings from hurting the Pirates with his bat, as he went 0-for-3 at the plate.

The last time Owings played at PNC Park ? on Sept. 27, 2007, while with the Arizona Diamondbacks ? he went 4-for-4 with three doubles and three RBI while pitching 6{1/3} scoreless innings in an 8-0 victory. This time, Owings gave up nine hits and five runs ? all earned ? in 5{2/3} innings.

The Pirates added two runs against reliever Daniel Ray Herrera in the seventh, with McLouth beating out a bunt down the first-base line, Adam LaRoche singling to right and Brandon Moss loading the bases with a fielder's choice that forced Sanchez out at home. McLouth and LaRoche scored for a 7-3 lead on an error by second baseman Brandon Phillips, who mishandled Adam Rosales' throw from third.

Cincinnati cut it to 7-4 in the eighth when Phillips reached on Sanchez's dropped fly and scored on a fielder's choice by Rosales. Morgan, however, stretched two bases out of a wild pitch and gave the Pirates an 8-4 edge by scoring on a sacrifice fly by Sanchez in the bottom of the eighth.

The Reds rallied in the ninth, against closer Matt Capps. Willy Taveras reached on a grounder to short and advanced to third on a single by pinch-hitter Laynce Nix. Joey Votto singled to right to score Taveras, and Phillips made it 8-6 with a single to left that drove in Nix.

After getting Jay Bruce to fly out to left, Capps struck out Ramon Hernandez but shortstop Ramon Vazquez couldn't handle Rosales' grounder, which left the bases loaded. With two outs and the crowd on its feet, Capps caught Alex Gonzalez swinging for the final out.