Harang Carries Reds To 4th Straight Win

Friday, August 24th 2007, 9:30 pm

By: News On 6

CINCINNATI (AP) _ Aaron Harang won for the third time in four August starts and the Cincinnati Reds tied a season high with their fourth straight victory, beating the Florida Marlins 5-3 on Friday night.

Brandon Phillips had three hits, including a home run, and drove in two for Cincinnati, which won four in a row for the fourth time this season. This is the second time this year the Reds beat the Braves three straight and opened a series against Florida with a win. They also did it on the road from July 16-19.

Aaron Harang (13-3) allowed eight hits and three runs with one walk and five strikeouts in seven innings to improve to 8-1 in his last 17 starts, dating back to May 25.

Gary Majewski allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth inning and David Weathers pitched the ninth for his 28th save in 33 opportunities.

Home runs by Mike Jacobs and Matt Treanor couldn't keep the Marlins from their ninth loss in their last 10 games.

Javier Valentin drove in the go-ahead run with an infield single in the seventh inning, sending Dontrelle Willis to his 10th loss in his last 11 decisions.

With the score tied at 3, Jorge Cantu led off the seventh against Willis with a single to left and moved to third on Edwin Encarnacion's double. Valentin followed with a grounder to shortstop Hanley Ramirez's right. Ramirez tried to backhand the ball while sliding on his right knee, but couldn't come up with it cleanly, allowing Cantu to score the go-ahead run.

Willis (8-13), who had nine consecutive losing decisions before beating Arizona 14-5 on Aug. 14, allowed eight hits and five runs with no walks and three strikeouts in 7 2-3 innings.

Phillips led off the fifth inning with his 24th home run of the season, hitting a 1-1 pitch into the lower deck in left field to snap a scoreless tie.

Encarnacion followed one out later with a bloop single to right field. He came around to score on Valentin's double to the left-center field wall, extending Valentin's career-long hitting streak to 14 games.

Harang kept the Marlins scoreless until Jacobs hit a solo homer _ his 12th homer of the season _ with one out in the sixth. One out later, Jeremy Hermida singled up the middle to extend his hitting streak to eight games, and Treanor followed with a home run off the facade of the second deck in left field to give Florida a 3-2 lead.

Jeff Keppinger tied the game at 3 and extended his career-high hitting streak to 13 games with a home run off the roof over the Reds bullpen bench in left-center field with one out in the sixth, his fourth homer of the season.

The Reds made it 5-3 in the eighth when Willis walked Keppinger with one out and Phillips followed with an RBI triple off reliever Justin Miller.

Notes: The Reds placed Livingston on the 15-day disabled list Friday because of a torn labrum in his left shoulder. RHP Todd Coffey was recalled from Triple-A Louisville. ... Reds C David Ross was sent to Louisville on a rehabilitation assignment. Ross has been on the disabled list since August 13 because of a concussion suffered the day before in a home plate collision with San Diego's Mike Cameron. ... Reds LF Adam Dunn, 0-for-10 in his career against Willis, got the night off ... Willis's two hits give him 10 this season, one short of matching the 11 he had last season. His career high is 24 in 2005.