By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PHILADELPHIA - While you were sleeping Monday night/Tuesday morning, the Reds were waiting out the rain.

Their Monday night game -- a 10-7 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies -- ended Tuesday morning at 2:06 a.m.

Ken Griffey Jr. jokes with teamate Ryan Freel during the 3rd inning just before the first of three rain delays was called. (Jeff Swinger photo)

The game was a makeup game for the April 14 rainout. The Reds were steamed that the rescheduled game was not a day game.

"This is ridiculous," Sean Casey said. "There's no way we should have to play a night game on a day we're supposed to have an off day at home.

"It's unbelievable."

The game was called six hours and 58 minutes after it started. Only 3:02 was spent playing baseball. The rest was three rain delays.

"If we play a day game, we play nine innings and we're done," Jason LaRue said.

The Reds were due to leave the clubhouse at 2:35 a.m. That would likely get them in air by 3:30 or so -- if there were no delays.

They open a three-game series tonight at 7:05 against the Texas Rangers.

"We'll have to get there in time to get dressed and hit in the cage," Reds manager Dave Miley said.

There was a historic home run hit in the game.

Jim Thome hit his 400th career home run. Ken Griffey Jr. put his pursuit of the 500 on hold for night. He did not play.

Six homers were hit in the game. LaRue and Casey hit two each for the Reds.

Jim Thome celebrates with his team after hitting his 400th career homerun. (Jeff Swinger photo)

The Reds losing streak is at seven games. They lost every game on the three-city road trip. The Reds are two games out of first in the National League Central.

The game was delayed by rain for two hours and 18 minutes in the middle of the third inning and again in the middle of seventh for an hour and five minutes. It was finally called after the third delay after waiting the mandatory 30 minutes.

There was a lot of pressure to get the game in -- Thome's home run, a sellout crowd of 44,710 at Citizens Bank Park and the fact the Reds had come to Philly for just the one game.

That's part of the reason Griffey was not in the lineup.

"Mentally and physically, he needed a break," Miley said.

Griffey was available to pinch-hit. It was a good night for the long ball and a long night for both bullpens.

Both starters were gone after the delay. In the case of Reds starter Jose Acevedo, that meant after two innings. So the Reds bullpen, already weary, ended up pitching six innings.

"If you gave me a worst-case scenario, that would be it," Miley said.

The bullpen pitched 29 2/3 innings on the seven-game road trip -- an average of about 4 1/3 a night.

Casey gave the Reds a 2-0 lead in the first with 12th of the year -- a two-run shot to right.

Thome tied it in the first with his 19th of the year. Acevedo, who served it up, hung his head as it flew out to left-center. Acevedo gave up a single to start the game. He then recorded to outs and went up 0-2 on Thome. Thome got the count to 3-2, then fouled two pitches back before jumping on a pitch on the outside half of the plate.

Pat Burrell followed with a shot to nearly the same spot. How well does the ball fly at Citizens? Ten of Burrell's 11 homers have come at home.

The Reds took the lead in the third on LaRue's two-out, two-run homer.

Phil Norton, the first reliever up, pitched two scoreless innings.

The Reds added a run in the fifth on Felipe Lopez's RBI single to make it 5-3. However, the one run was all the Reds got out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation.

They could have used another run or two because the lead didn't last the inning. John Riedling gave up two doubles and a single to start the fifth. That tied it. Riedling then walked two to load the bases.

David Bell singled home two more runs to make it 7-5. Riedling gave up four runs on four hits in the inning. His ERA has gone from 1.50 to 3.89 in a week.

LaRue made it 7-6 in the seventh with his second home run of the night, third in three days and fifth of the year.

Shortly after that, the rain started again.

After the 65-minute delay, Brian Reith, who had worked a 1-2-3 sixth, hit a batter and gave up two straight hits. Todd Jones came in and gave up a pair of sacrifice flies to make it 10-6. The inning ended at 1:15 a.m.

Casey hit a solo shot in the eighth to make the score 10-7. But before the Reds could bat in the top of the ninth, the game went to another rain delay at 1:40 a.m. After 30 minutes, the game was called.

BATS WIN: Kenny Kelly hit a two-run homer and Jim Chamblee and Dane Sardinha cracked solo shots to lead the Louisville Bats to a 10-5 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday night in an International League game at Louisville.

Louisville starter Brandon Claussen (5-4) held the Red Barons hitless through seven innings, striking out eight with three walks.

Reggie Taylor had an RBI double for the Bats, who cracked 14 hits.

Scranton starter Josh Hancock (6-4) lasted four innings, allowing eight runs on 10 hits.

PHILLIES 10, REDS 7, 8 innings, rain

CINCINNATI					PHILA
	ab	r	h	bi		ab	r	h	bi
Freel cf	3	1	1	0	Rollins ss	5	2	3	1
JClark 2b	4	0	0	0	Planco 2b	4	2	1	1
TJones p	0	0	0	0	BAbreu rf	4	2	2	0
Graves p	0	0	0	0	Thome 1b	4	2	2	3
Casey 1b	4	2	2	3	Burrell lf	2	1	2	2
Dunn lf	5	1	2	0	DaBell 3b	3	0	1	2
WPena rf	4	1	2	0	Lbrthal c	3	0	1	1
Reith p	0	0	0	0	Byrd cf	3	0	0	0
Vlentin c	1	0	0	0	RHrndz p	0	0	0	0
LaRue c	4	2	2	3	Worrell p	0	0	0	0
Hmmel 3b	4	0	2	0	Ledee ph	1	0	0	0
FLopez ss	4	0	2	1	Geary p	0	0	0	0
JoAvdo p	1	0	0	0	BWgnr p	0	0	0	0
PNortn p	0	0	0	0	Milton p	1	0	0	0
JaCruz ph	1	0	0	0	Madson p	0	0	0	0
Redling p	0	0	0	0	Utley ph	1	1	1	0
Larson 3b	0	0	0	0	Crmier p	0	0	0	0
					Glnville cf	2	0	0	0
Totals	35	7	13	7	Totals	33	10	13	10

Cincinnati	202	010	11-7
Philadelphia	300	040	30-10

DP-Cincinnati 1. LOB-Cincinnati 11, Philadelphia 5. 2B-Freel (6), WPena (3), BAbreu (14), Thome (14), Utley (6). 3B-Rollins (3). HR-Casey 2 (13), LaRue 2 (5), Thome (19), Burrell (11). SB-Hummel (1), BAbreu (13). S-JClark, JoAcevedo. SF-Burrell, Lieberthal.

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Cincinnati
JoAcevedo	2	3	3	3	0	2
PNorton	2	3	0	0	0	0
Riedling L,4-1	1	4	4	4	2	0
Reith	1	2	3	3	0	1
TJones	1	0	0	0	1	0
Graves	1	1	0	0	0	0
Philadelphia
Milton	3	8	4	4	1	3
Madson W,4-1	2	3	1	1	0	3
Cormier	1	0	0	0	1	2
RHernandez	2-3	1	1	1	2	0
Worrell	1-3	0	0	0	0	0
Geary	1	1	1	1	0	0
BWagner	0	0	0	0	0	0

Reith pitched to 3 batters in the 7th.

HBP-by Reith (Polanco), by Madson (LaRue). WP-Riedling.

Umpires-Home, Mark Wegner; First, Rob Drake; Second, Larry Young; Third, Mike Everitt.

T-3:04. A-44,710 (43,500).