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PITTSBURGH - The Cincinnati Reds must be wondering how much better their record would be if they played every inning the way they do the ninth.
Barry Larkin's two-out single drove in the go-ahead run during another Cincinnati ninth-inning rally, and the Reds, twice within a strike of losing, came back to beat the Pirates 4-3 Wednesday night.
The Reds won it with three consecutive hits on full-count pitches from closer Mike Williams: Ray Olmedo's single, pinch-hitter Reggie Taylor's tying double down the rightfield line and Larkin's single to short rightfield. Taylor's hit was his fifth in his past 34 at-bats.
Cincinnati won for a major league-leading 21st time in its final at-bat and leads the majors with 19 one-run victories. All but 12 of their 40 victories have come by two runs or fewer.
"It's great to watch this team come back like it does," said Scott Williamson, who pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 23 chances. "This team never gives up."
Several Reds said the key at-bat was by Olmedo, a rookie who is 10-for-21 during a 12-game road trip that concludes today. He had never faced Williams, yet got a key hit after falling behind in the count.
"I was looking for one pitch, a fastball," Olmedo said. "He threw me changeup, changeup, changeup, changeup ... when it was 3-and-2, and I was thinking changeup, he threw me a fastball."
Starting pitcher Paul Wilson said the Reds have something special going in the ninth. Manager Bob Boone said there's a bit of magic, too.
"When you keep doing this, it gives you confidence," Boone said. "You almost expect it to happen."
It was the second straight night the Reds rallied to win at PNC Park. They scored twice in the eighth to win 5-3 Tuesday.
"It came down to the last strike, to the last out," Wilson, the former Devil Rays starter, said. "It was exciting. It makes you believe. It's fun."
GIANTS 4, CARDINALS 1: Barry Bonds homered twice and scored three times, leading rookie Jerome Williams and visiting San Francisco.
The West-leading Giants have won three straight in a series that ends today. St. Louis leads the league in runs but has scored one for three games in a row.
Bonds has 637 career home runs, 23 behind Willie Mays for third on the lifetime list. Bonds had his 63rd multihomer game, moving past Hank Aaron and matching Mays for third place.
Bonds hit his 460th homer as a Giant on a low liner to right leading off the fourth, passing Mays for second on the franchise list.
BRAVES 2, MARLINS 1 (13): Rafael Furcal's leadoff homer in the 13th helped visiting Atlanta avoid a three-game sweep.
Florida rookie left-hander Dontrelle Willis allowed one run in eight innings but failed to match a club record by winning his eighth straight start, leaving with the score tied at 1.
Atlanta tied it in the sixth, ending Willis' streak of 311/3 scoreless home innings. Furcal drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a ground ball, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Gary Sheffield's bloop single to center.
ROCKIES 6, D'BACKS 2: Jason Jennings allowed two hits in 62/3 scoreless innings and Jay Payton had three RBIs for host Colorado.
Jennings walked four and struck out three to win for the fifth time in his past six starts. He gave up a leadoff double to Luis Gonzalez in the second and a single in the third to Steve Finley, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
BREWERS 5, ASTROS 3 (11): Eric Young and Scott Podsednik had run-scoring hits in the 11th to rally visiting Milwaukee. Houston tied it at 3 in the seventh. Brad Ausmus reached on an infield hit, went to third on Eric Bruntlett's first major-league hit, a single, and scored on a grounder by pinch-hitter Brian Hunter.
PADRES 4, DODGERS 3 (10): Mark Loretta hit a two-run single in the 10th as visiting San Diego won its fourth in a row. The Dodgers' Shawn Green tied it at 2 with a homer in the sixth, his ninth.
CUBS 1, PHILLIES 0: Sammy Sosa homered on the first pitch of the ninth and four Chicago pitchers combined on a one-hitter as the Cubs snapped host Philadelphia's seven-game winning streak.
EXPOS 11, METS 4: Brian Schneider and Edwards Guzman had two RBIs each as visiting Montreal used two five-run innings to beat New York, which committed four errors.