PITTSBURGH — It was a meaningless play in a meaningless game, but it sort of summed up the Reds' season.

Catcher Corky Miller's throw sails past Pokey Reese, setting off a comedy of errors . (AP photos) | ZOOM |

        It came in the seventh inning of their 3-1 loss Friday to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

        With the Reds trailing, 2-1, reliever Chris Piersoll walked Abraham Nunez. Two outs later, with Gary Matthews Jr. at the plate, Nunez stole second. Catcher Corky Miller's throw went into center field for an error, allowing Nunez to take third.

        “The throw was off the bag,” Reds manager Bob Boone said. “You can live with that. It happens. But (shortstop) Pokey (Reese) was late getting to the bag.”

        It would get worse. Center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. retrieved the ball and threw it toward the middle of the infield. The ball skipped toward home plate and past Miller, allowing Nunez to score.

Lance Davis reacts to giving up the go-ahead run. | ZOOM |

        Boone said the cutoff men — Reese and first baseman Sean Casey — were there.

        Said Griffey: “If the cutoff men were there, how'd that ball roll all the way to the backstop?”

        Even without the cutoff men, the ball shouldn't have gotten to the backstop.

        But Miller was away from the plate, picking up his mask.

        “That's what happens when you're not paying attention,” Miller said. “... Gave them a free run.”

        The Reds have done that a lot lately.

        The two errors gave the Reds at least one error in 16 of their past 20 games. They have 28 errors in that stretch.

Sean Casey bobbles a pickoff throw. | ZOOM |

        It was one big run because the Reds managed only sev en singles off the Pirates, who have the highest ERA (5.05) in the National League, non-Colorado Rockies division.

        “We were chasing the breaking ball all night,” Boone said.

        Hold the Reds to fewer than three runs and you can pretty much put the “W” in the books. The Reds are 1-36 when they score fewer than three.

        Lance Davis (6-3) ended the streak of poor starts by the young Reds pitchers. Davis went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits.

        “I made some adjustments,” Davis said. “It was a lot better than my last start.”

        The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Todd Walker led off with a single for his seventh hit in 14 at-bats. Dmitri Young followed with a single to right. Walker went to third and scored when Tony McKnight threw a wild pitch to Griffey.

        Davis didn't let a runner reach second base until Kevin Young led off the fifth with a double. But he allowed a pair of runs in the sixth to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead.

        Pinch hitter Robin Jennings nearly tied the score in the seventh. He hit a drive that center fielder Matthews caught just to the right of the 399-foot mark. Six inches higher and it would have been a home run.

        Had it gone out, it would have made the mistakes the Reds were about to commit much bigger.

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