ATLANTA — A little clumsiness and a touch of controversy accented Monday night's thrills for the Reds, who posted a rare comeback victory by outlasting the Atlanta Braves 5-4.

        Cincinnati (37-62) was bound for its fourth defeat in as many games this year against the Braves, trailing 3-0 after seven innings. But the Reds roused themselves for five runs in the eighth, erasing Atlanta's lead on Todd Walker's bases-loaded, two-run single.

        Walker was batting for Pokey Reese, who was removed in similar situations July 13 and 17. Reese was 0-for-3 Monday, dropping his batting average to .184 (30-for-163) since May 30.

        The enraged Reese smashed his bat so hard against the ground in the on-deck circle that he cracked the weighted donut on the bat in two. Reese strode directly past manager Bob Boone into the dugout and threw his bat at the bat rack.

        A former player, Boone understood Reese's frustration. “You don't want him to be happy,” Boone said. Reese declined comment.

        Boone was playing percentages by inserting the left-handed-batting Walker against righty reliever Jose Cabrera. But Walker was 0-for-11 as a pinch hitter while playing for Colorado, which traded him to Cincinnati last Thursday.

        Still, Walker welcomed the opportunity. “I like it. I really do,” he said of pinch hitting. “I've hit some balls hard this year and had zero luck.”

        Hoping to improve their record when trailing after seven innings to 3-51, the Reds entrusted their 5-3 lead to relief ace Danny Graves. As his teammates have done for most of the season, Graves stumbled — literally, in his case.

        Graves caught his spikes on the dirt of the pitcher's mound, causing him to commit a balk that helped Atlanta score an eighth-inning run.

        “I'm still trying to catch the guy who tripped me. Somebody threw something at me,” Graves jokingly said. “It was kind of embarrassing, but it's funny, because we won.”

        Cincinnati won because Graves, who relieved Scott Sullivan (3-1), escaped a first-and-third, two-out jam in the ninth to record his 17th save of the season — the team's first since June 27.

        Graves admitted the lack of consistent save chances affected him.

        “Knowing it was a save situation, I think I was a litle excited when I came in,” Graves said. “I was throwing my sinker harder than I normally do. That was something I couldn't control. My adrenalin was pumping.”

        Graves' central nervous system remained in overdrive for the ninth inning. With one out, pinch hitter Keith Lockhart doubled. Marcus Giles' weak comebacker moved Lockhart to third before Graves walked B.J. Surhoff on four pitches. Chipper Jones, Atlanta's top hitter who doubled leading off the eighth against Graves and scored, was due up.

        Said Graves, “You have to go against their best to see how good you are, at times.” After Jones grounded out to second base, Graves had his answer.

        The Reds didn't respond much to the challenge of facing the National League East leaders until Adam Dunn opened the eighth with his second single of the evening off Atlanta starter Tom Glavine, the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

        Ex-Red Mike Remlinger (3-2) replaced Glavine and promptly allowed Ken Griffey Jr.'s RBI triple. Sean Casey singled Griffey home.

        Though pinch-runner Ruben Rivera was thrown out attempting to steal second base, Aaron Boone refreshed the rally with a walk. Jones, the All-Star third baseman, bobbled Dmitri Young's grounder and threw high to second base, pulling Giles off the bag and leaving Reds at first and second.

        Jason LaRue's single loaded the bases and prompted Atlanta manager Bobby Cox to summon Cabrera. After Reese's histrionics and Walker's heroics, LaRue, who went to third base on the go-ahead single, scored on pinch hitter D.T. Cromer's equally crucial sacrifice fly.

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