Rockies 6, Reds 4
CINCINNATI -- Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon homered, and right-hander Kyle Kendrick pitched seven strong innings, lifting the Colorado Rockies to a 6-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the finale of a three-game series Wednesday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
Third baseman Todd Frazier and catcher Tucker Barnhart homered for Cincinnati (19-27), which has lost 10 of 11. The Reds halted a nine-game losing streak on Tuesday, their longest since 1998.
Kendrick (2-6) allowed one run through seven innings before giving up three earned in the eighth as the Rockies (19-26) took the series. He walked one and struck out one over just 75 pitches.
Reds starter Mike Leake (2-4) labored through a 29-pitch first inning on Wednesday, allowing three runs on two hits and a pair of walks.
The big blow for Colorado in the first was Arenado's 419-foot, three-run blast to left, making the score 3-0.
Frazier hit his 14th home run of the season on a 2-2 pitch from Kendrick in the bottom of the first. He went 2-for-3 with a homer, double, and three RBIs.
Leake was one strike away from getting through the second unscathed, but Blackmon connected on an 0-2 pitch for a two-run homer, making the score 5-1.
The Rockies increased their lead to 6-1 on first baseman Ben Paulsen's RBI single in the fifth.
Leake allowed six runs in five innings. In his past three starts, Leake has given up 20 earned runs, with six homers and eight walks.
Kendrick cruised through seven innings on just 61 pitches, needing fewer than 10 pitches in six of his first seven frames.
Kendrick retired 12 straight before giving up Barnhart's solo homer leading off the eighth. It was Barnhart's third homer this season.
Things got dicey for Colorado in the eighth.
After just 75 pitches and runners on first and second, Kendrick was replaced by left-hander Boone Logan, who walked Frazier with the bases loaded, making the score 6-3.
Right fielder Jay Bruce's bloop hit drove in Cincinnati's fourth run.
Rafael Betancourt then retired the next two batters, leaving the bases loaded.
John Axford shut the door on Cincinnati in the ninth for his eighth save.
NOTES: Reds LHP Manny Parra made his first appearance since April 23 and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings on Wednesday. ... RHP Jordan Lyles, who has been out with a sprained left big toe, will start for the Rockies on Sunday at Philadelphia. ... Reds 2B Brandon Phillips was out of the lineup for the second straight day with a toe injury. ... Cincinnati has set its rotation for this weekend's series against the Nationals, barring any setbacks with RHP Johnny Cueto. RHP Anthony DeSclafani will start Friday, RHP Raisel Iglesias on Saturday, and Cueto or RHP Jason Marquis on Sunday. Cueto missed his last start due to elbow stiffness, but an MRI revealed no structural damage. ... Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa, who was scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday due to a cut on his left middle finger, will start Saturday against the Phillies.