By John Fay
Enquirer staff writer

Wily Mo Pena misses a fly ball hit by Houston's Jose Vizcaino in the second inning. The Enquirer/Steven M. Herppich

The Reds have been mum on who will get the call-ups Wednesday when the rosters are expanded.

But here's a suggestion: Get some bullpen arms up here pronto.

Phil Norton gave up three runs, John Riedling gave up four and Todd Van Poppel gave up one in an 11-3 loss to the Houston Astros before a crowd of 19,320 at Great American Ball Park.

The most discouraging thing? The Reds scored three runs in the fifth inning to tie it at 3-3 before the bullpen blowup.

"We've talked about it a lot," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "You've got to be able to put up a zero there. We got right back in it. We just weren't able to put up a zero."

Adam Dunn hit his 40th home run—a solo shot—to tie the game. Dunn is the eighth Red to hit 40 in a season and the first since Ken Griffey Jr. hit 40 in 2000.

"It's a pretty good personal accomplishment," Dunn said. "I just wish it had come in a game where we played better."

Converting a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning to a victory is no easy task for the Reds because they simply do not have any good choices as far as middle relief right now.

Norton has a 31.50 ERA over his last three appearances. Riedling's ERA is 7.56 over his last seven outings. Van Poppel, who finished the game Monday, has a 12.27 ERA in his last six appearances.

The Reds also committed two errors and were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

"We're just not playing very well now," Dunn said. "Three runs isn't going to win many games."

Said Miley: "The key to the game was what they did with their opportunities and what we did with ours."

The Reds had 10 hits to 11 for Houston, but the Reds left 12 runners on, Houston five.

The streak of quality starts by Reds pitchers came to an end at seven. Luke Hudson went only four innings, allowing three runs - two earned - before being lifted for a pinch-hitter. But, with better defense, Hudson probably could have kept alive the streak.

"We've seen his command better," Miley said.

Hudson was the victim of shaky defense from the start. Craig Biggio hit the second pitch of the game to the wall in left-center for a double. But it looked like Hudson would get out of the inning when Jeff Kent hit one right at third baseman Ryan Freel with two outs. But the ball went between Freel's legs for an error, allowing Biggio to score.

Defensive lapses led to another run in the second. Jose Vizcaino led off with a sinking line drive to center. Wily Mo Pena tried to make a shoestring catch, but the ball got under his glove for a double. Vizcaino moved to third on Brad Ausmus' flyout. Pitcher Pete Munro got Vizcaino with a fly ball to center. Pena would have had a chance to throw out Vizcaino at the plate, but Pena broke in and then had to go back and awkwardly reach up to catch it.

The third Astro run was all on Hudson. He gave up a two-out solo home run to Lance Berkman in the third.

The Reds had a chance to get back into it in the fourth. Austin Kearns and Pena singled with two outs. Jason LaRue was hit by a pitch to load the bases. It was LaRue's 20th HBP of the season, tying his club record. LaRue was also hit 20 times last year, equaling the club record Frank Robinson set in 1956.

John Vander Wal was sent up to pinch-hit for Hudson.

"We're scuffling to score runs," Miley said. "We took a shot."

It didn't work. Vander Wal took a called third strike. He is 0-for-his-last-18 as a pinch-hitter, with nine strikeouts.

But the Reds got back in the game in the fifth. Freel led off with a double to right-center. Two pitches later, Felipe Lopez hit one to almost the same place - just a little deeper for his fifth home run.

An out later, Dunn tied it with a towering shot to right. Dunn, who has hit home runs in three of his last four games, is on pace to hit 49. Only George Foster (52 in 1977) has hit more as a Red.

The tie didn't last long. Norton gave up a three-run homer to Ausmus on a 3-0 pitch at the top of the next inning.

The Reds loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth, but Freel struck out on three pitches and Lopez grounded into a double play.

Riedling gave up four runs (two earned) in the seventh to put it out of reach.

Houston	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Biggio lf	5	1	1	0	0	1	.283
CBeltran cf	4	1	0	0	1	1	.261
Bagwell 1b	4	1	1	0	1	0	.264
Springer p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Berkman rf-1b	5	3	3	4	0	0	.309
JKent 2b	4	1	2	0	0	0	.286
Bruntlett ss	1	0	0	0	0	1	.222
Lamb 3b	3	1	0	0	2	0	.293
JVizcaino ss-2b	4	2	2	1	0	0	.291
Ausmus c	4	1	2	3	0	0	.253
PMunro p	2	0	0	1	0	0	.083
Harville p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Lane ph	1	0	0	0	0	1	.237
Gallo p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Bullinger p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
OPalmeiro rf	0	0	0	0	0	0	.246
Totals	37	11	11	9	4	4

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Freel 3b	5	1	1	0	0	1	.272
FLopez ss	5	1	1	2	0	1	.245
Casey 1b	5	0	2	0	0	0	.333
Dunn lf	5	1	1	1	0	2	.273
DJimenez 2b	4	0	0	0	0	1	.257
Van Poppel p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.125
JaCruz ph	0	0	0	0	1	0	.240
Kearns rf	5	0	1	0	0	1	.216
WPena cf	4	0	3	0	0	0	.258
LaRue c	3	0	1	0	0	1	.246
Hudson p	0	0	0	0	1	0	.167
Vnder Wl ph	1	0	0	0	0	1	.140
PNorton p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Larkin ph	0	0	0	0	1	0	.302
Riedling p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
GWhite p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
JCastro 2b	0	0	0	0	1	0	.246
Totals	37	3	10	3	4	8

Houston	111	003	401	-11	11	1
Cincinnati	000	030	000	-3	10	2

E-JKent (7), Freel (13), Dunn (6). LOB-Houston 5, Cincinnati 12. 2B-Biggio (38), Berkman (31), JKent (26), JVizcaino (16), Freel (17), WPena (9), LaRue (19). HR-Ausmus (5), off PNorton; Dunn (40), off PMunro; FLopez (5), off PMunro; Berkman 2 (23), off Van Poppel, Hudson. RBIs-Berkman 4 (83), JVizcaino (27), Ausmus 3 (28), PMunro (1), FLopez 2 (19), Dunn (83). SB-CBeltran (22), Bagwell (4), WPena (5). SF-JVizcaino, PMunro. GIDP-FLopez.

Runners left in scoring position-Houston 2 (Lamb, JVizcaino); Cincinnati 6 (Freel, Casey, Kearns, LaRue, Vander Wal 2).

DP-Houston 1 (JKent, JVizcaino and Bagwell); Cincinnati 1 (JCastro and Casey).

Houston	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
PMunro W, 3-5	5	8	3	3	1	6	100	4.92
Harville H, 3	1	0	0	0	1	1	14	5.56
Gallo	1	0	0	0	0	1	11	5.02
Bullinger	1	1	0	0	1	0	20	5.65
Springer	1	1	0	0	1	0	19	0.00

Cincinnati	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Hudson	4	4	3	2	2	1	66	3.80
PNorton L, 1-5	2	3	3	3	0	1	33	5.30
Riedling	0	2	4	2	1	0	13	4.77
GWhite	1	1	0	0	0	1	18	6.16
Van Poppel	2	1	1	1	1	1	19	6.10

PMunro pitched to 1 batter in the 6th, Riedling pitched to 4 batters in the 7th.

Inherited runners-scored-Harville 1-0, GWhite 1-1.

HBP-by PMunro (LaRue).

T-2:58. A-19,320 (42,271).