Nix drive in 3, Phillips gets 3 hits as Reds beat Braves 7-2, ending 4-game losing streak

Reds beat Braves 7-2, ending 4-game slide

CINCINNATI — Laynce Nix drove in three runs Tuesday night, and Brandon Phillips had three hits on a soggy field, helping the Cincinnati Reds overcome a couple of rain delays for a 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves that ended a four-game losing streak.

Nix drove in runs with a groundout and a pair of doubles, the last one during a four-run eighth inning. He also finished with three hits.

Left-hander Daniel Ray Herrera (1-2) got his first major league victory, pitching three scoreless innings after a 1-hour, 54-minute delay forced starter Aaron Harang out of the game in the third inning. Braves starter Jair Jurrjens (5-5) went only two innings before the rain ended his performance, too.

Atlanta has lost five of its last six games, a reflection of its dormant offense. The Braves had 12 hits but stranded five runners in scoring position. They loaded the bases with one out in the sixth and failed to score.

A pair of long hitless streaks ended the first inning, before rain brought everything to a halt and turned the game into a slog.

Atlanta’s Chipper Jones singled, snapping an 0-for-21 slump that was the second-longest of his career. Jones, who was the major leagues’ batting champion with a .364 average last season, ended up with three hits.

Willy Taveras snapped his 0-for-32 slump in the bottom of the inning with a single to center. It was the longest drought by a Reds position player since Denis Menke went 33 at-bats without a hit in 1973.

Heavy rain resulted in the 1-hour, 54-minute delay in the top of the third inning. A member of the grounds crew lost her footing as she helped drag the tarp over the infield, leaving her trapped briefly. She got to her feet and found her way out unharmed, receiving an ovation from the 19,127 wet fans.

Crew chief Joe West herded the teams back onto the field with a steady rain falling and sections of the warning track submerged. Only two outs later, the rain turned back into a downpour, resulting in another delay of 21 minutes.