Chris Nichting agonizes over Bobby Higginson's three-run HR in the ninth. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        A forlorn Chris Nichting sat in front of his Cinergy Field locker, boring fresh holes in the belt of his uniform pants with a silent stare.

        Nichting didn't need the belt to flog himself for yielding the Detroit Tigers' five ninth-inning runs in the Reds' 8-5 interleague loss Sunday. His self-critical thoughts sufficed.

        “I lost that game single-handedly,” Nichting said after Roger Cedeno's RBI single, Bobby Higginson's three-run, go-ahead homer and Robert Fick's solo home run wiped out Cincinnati's 5-3 lead.

        Nichting was just the fall guy in the Reds' latest tragicomedy. Poor pitching depth, faulty offense and injuries all proved integral to one of the most galling defeats of this unpleasant season.

        The last-place Reds (34-57) squandered their largest lead of the year, a 5-0 bulge they built after three innings. They also wasted the efforts of rookie Jose Acevedo, who allowed three runs in seven innings; Alex Ochoa, who made an impressive one-hop throw from medium-deep right field to nail Tony Clark at home plate in the fourth inning; and Ken Griffey Jr., who hit his 443rd career home run to move into 24th place on the all-time list.

        But Cincinnati's unraveling was the product of more than the final six innings:

Jason LaRue puts the tag on Tony Clark on a throw from Alex Ochoa. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

LaRue and Clark react. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        • The Reds' top two relievers, Scott Sullivan and Danny Graves, were unavailable after pitching three innings each in Saturday's 6-5, 13-inning win over Cleveland. They had to compensate for starter Jim Brower's five-inning stint.

        • The Reds again failed to assert themselves offensively. After assuming their commanding lead, they moved runners into scoring position in four of the final six innings but couldn't score.

        • With two outs in the ninth and the Reds still ahead, 5-4, Boone couldn't try to neutralize the left-handed-batting Tigers due up — Higginson, Fick and Clark — by replacing the right-handed Nichting with lefty Justin Atchley. Soreness in the front of Atchley's throwing shoulder has prevented him from pitching since last Thursday. Playing the percentages in the eighth inning, Boone inserted left-hander Hector Mercado, who retired Higginson and Fick before surrendering Clark's single.

        Though right-hander Frankie Rodriguez warmed up in the ninth inning, Boone stuck with Nichting (0-3), who entered Sunday with a respectable 3.05 ERA and had recorded the eighth inning's final out.

        “Nichting was going to get them out or give it up,” Boone said. “He was still throwing well; he didn't get it where he wanted.”

Ochoa runs down a Higginson drive. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        Detroit improved its record when trailing after eight innings to 2-40 after Nichting allowed consecutive one-out singles to Jose Macias and pinch hitter Ryan Jackson. The latter hit was a line drive off first baseman Dmitri Young's glove that would have been a game-ending double play if Young had made the difficult catch.

        Cedeno's single scored Macias before Damion Easley filed out to deep right, bringing up Higginson. Nichting fell behind 2-0, but got Higginson to swing and miss on the next pitch.

        Higginson connected on the pitch after that.

        “I thought, well, I can probably repeat that (2-0) pitch,” Nichting said. “I'm sure he knew I was going to come at him ... I couldn't honestly tell you where the ball ended up, except for the seats. I felt like I repeated everything I needed to to get the same pitch. I probably elevated it a little bit.”

        “People are breaking their behinds trying to do a good job for everyone here,” Nichting said. “It's unfortunate, because it was my turn to pick up the team and I didn't.”

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