Juan Encarnacion and Reggie Taylor had big days offensively, but they've had better days on defense, colliding on this fly ball. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

        PITTSBURGH — Reggie Taylor never will be mistaken for Ken Griffey Jr. Taylor doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't drive in runs. But he can run.

        As the Reds look for ways to hold on while Griffey is out, players are going to have to step forward.

        Taylor did Wednesday night. With him at the top of the lineup, the Reds had their best offensive night of the year. Taylor didn't carry the Reds to the 8-5 victory over Pittsburgh before a crowd of 36,048 at PNC Park. But he set the tone.

        “He can be a sparkplug for us,” third baseman Aaron Boone said. “We need him to be. He showed signs that he can do that.”

        Taylor, a 25-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder, was the player the Reds got two days before Opening Day from Philadelphia for Hector Mercado.

        Wednesday night was just his third big-league start.

        “He looked pretty polished,” Reds manager Bob Boone said. “He gave us good at-bats.”

Encarnacion steals second ahead of Pokey Reese's tag. | ZOOM |

        Taylor walked his first time up, stole second and scored. He singled his second time up, stole second and scored.

        That's his game.

        “I try to get on any way I can — walk, bunt — then try to create havoc on the bases,” he said. “Scoring runs is my thing.”

        Scoring runs has not been the Reds' thing this season. They came into Wednesday averaging 3.71 runs a game. That was good for 12th in the National League.

        But with Taylor at the top, the offense showed new life against a Pirates pitching staff that had been surprisingly good this season. The Reds broke the Pirates' five-game winning streak and scored as many runs as the Pirates had given up during the entire winning streak.

        Taylor was 1-for-5, but his aggressiveness helped the Reds make a lot of runs out of a little pop. Eleven of the Reds' 13 hits were singles, but they made the most of them. They stole six bases.

        “It was a good night,” Aaron Boone said. “A lot of guys got big hits. That's when it's fun.”

Encarnacion rounds the bases after a solo HR. | ZOOM |

        Jose Acevedo (2-0) won it with five so-so innings. The Reds' bullpen finished up with four scoreless innings.

        The new lineup produced from the start — the Reds scored two runs in the first.

        After the Pirates cut the lead to 2-1 in the their half of the first, the Reds broke it open with four in the second.

        Juan Encarnacion led off the second with his second home run of year — a towering shot into the bullpen behind the wall in left-center.

        An out later, Acevedo walked and moved up on a wild pitch from Pittsburgh starter Kip Wells. Taylor fol lowed with a single and again stole second. Barry Larkin singled into right field to score Acevedo and Taylor.

        Sean Casey followed with a single. Then Adam Dunn made it 6-1 with a fourth straight single.

        That was it for Wells.

Jose Acevedo gave up five runs in five innings. | ZOOM |

        Larkin left the game after the inning as a precaution. The strained rib cage muscle that kept him out of Monday's game is still sore.

        “That was the plan. If we got the lead, I was going out,” Larkin said.

        The Pirates got two runs back in the second, thanks to the Reds' ninth error of the season. The Reds added a run in the fourth. Casey and Dunn each singled, and Todd Walker got Casey home with a single to center. It was 7-3.

        Neither of Dunn's hits was a rocket, but after going 2-for-20 to start the year, he'll take them.

        “I got a couple of cheapies,” he said. “Now, hopefully, the baseball gods will start looking after me.”'

        The Pirates pulled within 7-5 on Brian Giles' first home run of the year — a two-run, no-doubter to right. It was only the second home run of the year for the Pirates.

        Acevedo clearly was not as sharp as he was in his first start when he allowed one run on four hits and struck out six over six innings.

        So, with a rested bullpen, Bob Boone didn't push it. He lifted Acevedo after the fifth. Acevedo went five innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits. He struck out two and walked three. He threw 103 pitches, 67 of which were strikes.

        Luis Pineda, Gabe White, Scott Sullivan and Danny Graves retired 12 of 13 batters they faced over the final four innings. Graves worked the ninth for his second save.

        “That's kind of how it's scripted to go every night,” Boone said.

Griffey won't need surgery Reds 8, Pirates 5 Reds Notebook: Griffey injury yields new lineup Box, runs Bonds's double beat Dodgers in 9th Padres 2, Diamondbacks 1 Cardinals 6, Brewers 5 Mariners 8, Angels 1

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