Reds Blow Nine-Run Lead Of Their Own, But Manage To Rally And Win Over Giants In 12

San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Joey Votto homered twice and drove in the winning run in the 12th inning to lift Cincinnati to a wild 12-11 win over San Francisco, as the Reds salvaged the final game of a high-scoring three- game set between the two playoff hopefuls.

Cincinnati coughed up a nine-run lead and had to score in the ninth to force extra innings and avoid being swept by the Giants for the first time since May 3-5, 2002.

Votto finished with four hits and four runs batted in and Paul Janish went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Jonny Gomes and Ryan Hanigan also homered for the Reds, who temporarily pushed their lead over St. Louis in the NL Central to three games.

Barry Zito (8-9), making just his second career relief appearance, was the last of eight pitchers and yielded the game-winning run during his lone inning of work, as the Giants fell six games behind San Diego in the NL West and one- half game behind Philadelphia in the NL Wild Card chase.

Janish led off the 12th with a single and moved to third on a one-out double by Miguel Cairo before he was thrown out trying to score on a Chris Heisey ground ball to shortstop. Votto then grounded a single into right field to plate Cairo with the decisive run.

Pablo Sandoval started the home half of the inning with a single and stole second base with two outs. Mike Fontenot singled off pitcher Francisco Cordero to put runners at the corners before Andres Torres grounded out to end the game.

Cordero (4-4), the last of six Cincinnati hurlers, earned the win by tossing two scoreless frames.

Logan Ondrusek retired the Giants in order in the seventh but ran into big trouble in the eighth, when the hosts overcame a five-run deficit to forge their only lead of the game.

Jose Guillen and Sandoval singled to start the frame and scored when Juan Uribe clubbed a home run to left to bring the Giants within 10-8 and chase the rookie right-hander from the hill.

Veteran southpaw Arthur Rhodes took the mound and didn't have much success, as Cody Ross and Fontenot singled and scored when Torres doubled down the left field line, tying the game. Buster Posey flied out to deep right to push Torres to third, and Torres scored the go-ahead run on Aubrey Huff's fly ball to medium right field, giving the Giants an 11-10 lead.

Brian Wilson had worked a scoreless top of the eighth and retired the first batter in the ninth before Drew Stubbs reached second base on a Sandoval throwing error. Janish then singled to right to deliver Stubbs to tie the game at 11. Jay Bruce was intentionally passed before Cairo, who was pinch-hitting, bounced into an inning-ending double play.

Brandon Phillips started the game with a single and, one out later, stole second base before scoring when Votto belted a home run to left field. Gomes and Hanigan later hit back-to-back homers to left, making it a 4-0 game.

Guillen singled with one out in the second, moved to second base when Sandoval singled and scored on a two-out base hit by Freddy Sanchez.

Cincinnati then plated four two-out runs in the third to widen the gap. Rolen doubled and scored when Gomes singled. Hanigan then drew a walk and both runners came in to score when Stubbs tripled off the top of the left field wall, just out of the reach of Pat Burrell. The Giants decided to walk Janish intentionally but starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner sailed his offering over the extended reach of the catcher Posey, who retrieved the ball and threw home to Bumgarner. The pitcher tagged a sliding Stubbs but couldn't hold on to the ball, allowing him to score to make it 8-1.

The young left-hander was removed in favor of Ramon Ramirez and was charged with eight runs -- seven earned -- on seven hits over 2 2/3 innings in the shortest start of his young career.

Votto lifted his second opposite field shot of the day to left with two outs in the fourth to extend the lead to 9-1. The Reds tacked on another in the fifth when starter Homer Bailey's two-out single plated Stubbs and chased Ramirez from the game.

Santiago Casilla took over on the hill and promptly hit Phillips to load the bases for Heisey, who was called out on strikes to end the inning. Phillips was replaced at second base in the bottom of the sixth by Chris Valaika.

Burrell's two-out, two-run double to right in the bottom of the frame trimmed the Giants' deficit to 10-3.

Uribe's single and a pinch-hit double by Nate Schierholtz put runners at second and third with one out in the sixth and spelled the end of Bailey's outing.

Bill Bray assumed pitching duties and uncorked a wild pitch that scored Uribe and moved Schierholtz to third. Schierholtz scored on Fontenot's ground out to make it a 10-5 game.

Bailey surrendered five runs on nine hits and a pair of walks while fanning four over 5 1/3 frames.

The Giants scored 11 runs or more in three consecutive games for the first time since June 3-5, 1953 against the Reds and Cubs...Guillen has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, while Ross extended his hitting streak to eight games...Gomes' long ball was the 100th of his career. He had been stuck on 99 since July 19 and had driven in only two runs in his 92 at-bats since... Votto had his third two-home run game of the season and the sixth of his career...The consecutive homers by Gomes and Hanigan marked the eighth time this season the Reds have gone back-to-back...The last time the Giants gave up three home runs in the first inning was August 4, 1999 at Arizona...The Reds are 58-24 when they hit a home run and 45-12 when scoring first...Votto became the 12th Reds player to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated in solo fashion Wednesday and the first to do so since Ken Griffey, Jr. on the June 14, 2004 issue...Phillips has hit safely in eight of his last nine games.