In the first of two ninth-inning baserunning blunders, Adam Dunn is picked off first . (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        Reds manager Bob Boone and three of his players said the team was “flat” in a 6-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks before 21,280 fans Tuesday night. Most likely, the Reds merely had it handed to them by pitcher Rick Helling, who, despite an 8-8 record, was anything but flat.

        “He was mixing up his pitches and had a little cutter working,” said Reds slugger Adam Dunn, who had a tough night of it, with two called strikeouts and a popout after Ken Griffey Jr. had walked.

        Dunn was also picked off first base in the ninth, after leading off with an infield hit.

        The faux pas was made worse, because it proved to be a prelude to additional antics.

In the second blunder, Austin Kearns is tagged out after being caught between third and home. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        After Austin Kearns walked and Sean Casey doubled, they were involved in a game-ending double play that left the Reds with egg on their face.

        That's because when Barry Larkin grounded to reliever Mike Koplove, Casey saw Kearns break for the plate - the D'backs were conceding the run - and Casey charged for third. In effect, that left both Casey and Kearns in the vicinity of third. After Larkin was thrown out at first, Kearns broke for the plate, seeing that Casey wasn't going to be able to get back to second. Kearns was out at the plate.

        For those scoring, it was a 1-3-2-5-3 DP.

        “That wasn't pretty,” Bob Boone said. “It didn't (cost us the game), but it surely topped the night off.”

        The loss dropped the Reds 3 1/2 games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. The Houston Astros sit in second place, just a half-game ahead of Cincinnati.

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Dunn gets the last word on Junior Spivey, catching his long drive in the ninth. (Jeff Swinger photo) 600 | 800 | 1024

        Dunn is one of the players who said the Reds were flat, and so did Aaron Boone, who hit his fourth homer in five games.

        “(Helling) pitched a heck of a game; he went right through us pretty easily,” Boone said “We really didn't mount much of anything. That said, I thought we came out a little flat. This certainly was no time for that.”

        The Reds' vaunted lineup has owned mediocre teams, but floundered against good ones. They fell to 17-33 against teams at or over .500. (The D'backs, the defending world champions, are way above .500, at 74-45).

        “We have to put this one behind us and come back out (today),” Boone said.

        The Reds are 44-23 against sub-.500 teams, but they will play 19 of their next 22 games against teams with records currently above .500.

Todd Walker looks to first base after making a diving stop and throw. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        Reds starter Jimmy Haynes didn't pitch well (five runs in six innings). It didn't matter, though, since the Reds' bats went balsa on him.

        How did they stink up the joint? Let us count the ways:

        In the first, Dunn took a two-out called third strike with Griffey on first base via a walk.

        In the second inning, Larkin flew out to right and Jason LaRue popped out to catcher after Casey had infield-singled with one out.

Ken Griffey Jr., who walked three times, reacts after striking out in the eighth. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        In the fourth, following a leadoff walk to Griffey, Dunn popped out to catcher, Kearns struck out and Casey flew out to left.

        In the fifth, the Reds went against the book, choosing not to have Haynes bunt with one out and LaRue on first. Haynes grounded into a double play.

        In the sixth, Dunn again looked at a third strike, this time after a one-out walk to Griffey. Kearns grounded out to second base.

        In the eighth, after Boone's two-out double, Griffey struck out.

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