D-backs drop fifth straight to Cueto, Reds

D-backs drop fifth straight to Cueto, Reds

Published Aug. 28, 2012 10:36 p.m. ET

PHOENIX (AP) -- Wade Miley threw every pitch he has in his arsenal Tuesday night. And that was just in one marathon at-bat.

Scott Rolen drew a 15-pitch walk to spark a three-run second inning and the Reds went on to a 5-2 victory over the slumping Diamondbacks.

"Everything I threw up there he got a piece of," Miley said.

Johnny Cueto scattered four hits over seven innings for his major league-leading 17th win and the Reds stretched their NL Central lead to seven games over St. Louis. Ryan Hanigan hit a two-run single and Todd Frazier added a two-run triple for Cincinnati, which won for the third time in four games.

The D-backs opened a 1-0 lead in the first when Gerardo Parra doubled, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jason Kubel. But the Reds rallied in the second and flipped the momentum with Rolen's long at-bat.

Frazier led off the inning with a broken-bat single and Miley got ahead of Rolen 1-2. Rolen then fouled off two pitches, took a ball, fouled off two more, took a third ball and fouled off five pitches in a row before drawing a walk.

"I threw him in and out, up and down and he was just nicking it," Miley said. "I couldn't make a good changeup, was leaving them up, and he fouled them off."

Miley gave up another broken-bat single, this one to Chris Heisey, and Frazier scored on a wild pitch before Hanigan lined a two-run single to center for a 3-1 lead.

"I'd have rather singled on the first pitch," Rolen said.

Miley (14-9) allowed three runs and seven hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out five for the Diamondbacks, who have lost five straight and seven of nine.

"The first couple of innings everything was up," Miley said. "I was able to make the adjustment, but it didn't work out."

It was the second inning that did him in.

"Wade couldn't get the ball down that inning," manager Kirk Gibson said. "The balls were elevated and they were hitting them. Some of the changeups they hit off the end of the bat, they were elevated. After that, he started getting the ball down and those balls turned into groundballs."

Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker thought the long battle with Rolen affected Arizona's rookie left-hander.

"That took a whole inning out of him," Baker said. "Foul off a pitch, foul off a pitch -- he was trying everything. That takes a lot out of a pitcher."

The three runs were enough for Cueto (17-4), who gave up two runs, struck out one and walked five for his eighth victory in nine decisions.

"He is good," Gibson said. "He is really good."

The right-hander lowered his NL-leading ERA to 2.48.

"All I can promise is to try and keep going because I want to win 20 games," Cueto said through a translator. "I felt better as the game went on. I was able to gather more strength and continue."

Baker doesn't see anything that would stop him.

"He's feeling it every time he goes out there," the manager said.

Jonathan Broxton pitched the eighth and Aroldis Chapman closed it out for his 33rd save and 25th straight, tied with Texas reliever Joe Nathan for the longest active streak in the majors.

John McDonald reached on a fielder's choice and scored on a double to left by Parra in the fifth to pull the Diamondbacks to 3-2.

Frazier tripled home Brandon Phillips and Ryan Ludwick in the eighth against Matt Lindstrom, who was making his Arizona debut after being traded from Baltimore for Joe Saunders on Sunday.

"We were just up the one run so that little cushion was helpful," Frazier said.

NOTES: Phillips stole second in the eighth, his 11th stolen base in 12 attempts. ... Miley needed 54 pitches to get through the first two innings but threw only 53 over his final five. ... Reds RHP Mat Latos (10-4) will look to bounce back from a rough outing when he pitches Wednesday against LHP Patrick Corbin (5-5). Latos allowed seven runs and nine hits Friday against St. Louis for his first loss since July 18. Corbin will be the third straight rookie the Diamondbacks send to the mound.

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