The Reds came into Tuesday's game with a tired bullpen, and the Astros proceeded to wear out the relievers for a second straight night.

BARRY LARKIN WAITS FOR CHRIS STYNES TO CROSS THE PLATE AFTER HE HIT A LEAD OFF HOME RUN. (Jeff Swinger photos) | ZOOM |

        The bullpen allowed six runs in three innings in the Reds' 7-4 loss to Houston before a crowd of 33,424 at Cinergy Field on Tuesday.

        Scott Williamson, the reliever the Reds made a starter, left with a three-run lead. But Ron Villone, the starter the Reds made a reliever, lost the game in the ninth after Denny Reyes and Scott Sullivan couldn't hold the lead in the seventh and eighth.

        It was the second straight night the Reds' bullpen blew a save opportunity and took the loss. The Reds entered Monday 40-1 when the lead after eight innings. They are now 40-3.

        “When it rains, it pours,” Reds manager Jack McKeon said. “The bullpen's been good overall. But we're down without (Larry) Luebbers. (Manny) Aybar is just back up, so you don't know what he can do. It's almost like we're down to nine pitchers.”

        Williamson went six innings, allowing six hits and one run. He walked one and struck out a career-high eight. Williamson might have gone longer, but he threw 114 pitches.

        “With (Williamson), you know you're only going to get five, six, seven innings,” McKeon said. “It's going to be that way until he throws more strikes. He threw 45 pitches in the first two innings.”

        That meant the overworked bullpen would have to close it out. It didn't even come close.

REDS PITCHER SCOTT SULLIVAN REACTS AFTER WALKING HOUSTONšS CRAIG BIGGIO IN THE 7TH. | ZOOM |

        Closer Danny Graves wasn't available because he's overworked.

        Reyes walked both batters he faced, and both scored off Sullivan. Sullivan allowed the tying run in the eighth. Then Villone gave up three runs in the ninth.

        “I'm really mad at myself,” Reyes said. “To walk one guy, then walk the other. ... I was really ticked at myself.”

        The Reds had hoped to give Sullivan the night off but were forced to use him because of Williamson's short night and Reyes' ineffectiveness. Sullivan leads National League relievers with 68 2/3 innings pitched.

        “I don't know how much Sullivan's pitched recently,” Houston manager Larry Dierker said. “But he looked like he was on his last gasp out there.”

        The Reds stand at 50-50 after 100 games.

        “It's not what you envisioned,” McKeon said. “But we're not out of it.”

        The Reds, who were so hopeful after pulling within five games of the St. Louis Cardinals, have lost two straight since and have fallen 6¹/₂ games behind the Cards in the National League Central. Chris Stynes got the Reds started by hitting Jose Lima's fourth pitch out to left field. It was Stynes' seventh home run of the year, a career high, and it was the third time Stynes has led off a game with a home run.

        Larkin followed with a walk. Ken Griffey Jr. then lashed a shot that just cleared the fence in right field. Griffey had not homered in 11 games, his longest longball drought of the year.

        Williamson had only one easy inning, but he was able to make pitches when he needed to.

        Sean Casey hit a moon shot in the sixth. It just cleared the wall in left-center for Casey's eighth home run, making it 4-3. The hit extended Casey's career-high streak to 17 games.

REDS PITCHER RON VILLONE COVERS HIS FACE AFTER LEAVING THE MOUND IN THE NINTH INNING. | ZOOM |

        Williamson took the mound to start the seventh but didn't throw a pitch. He was pulled for a double switch. Reyes took over. He promptly walked the first two batters.

        That was it for Reyes. In came Sullivan. He walked Craig Biggio to load the bases. Then allowed back-to-back sacrifice flies. That cut the lead to 4-3.

        Sullivan got the first two batters in the eighth but then allowed a single Lugo. Lugo scored on Meluskey's double.

        “I didn't make one good pitch all night,”Sullivan said. “I was like a Little Leaguer out there throwing the ball.”

        Biggio led off the ninth with a single, and Jeff Bagwell followed with a home run to straightaway center. The Astros added another when Chris Truby's flyball dropped in front of Griffey for an RBI double.

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