[Stardust]

Mike Leake picked a bad time to struggle. By the time he was lifted in the fourth inning of Friday night’s game, most of the fans out in Redsland had him out of the rotation and Aroldis Chapman in.

Leake took the loss as the Reds fell to the Houston Astros 6-4 before a crowd of 29,486 on a chilly night at Great American Ball Park. Leake had the shortest outing of the year for a Reds’ starting pitcher. He went 3 2/3 innings and allowed six runs (three earned) on seven hits. He walked none and struck out one.

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He’s struggled in each of his last three starts.

Reds manager Dusty Baker made it sound like Leake will remain in the rotation.

“Everybody can have three bad ones in a row,” Baker said. “Don’t panic. Mike Leake will be Mike Leake.”

Moving Chapman into the rotation would take some time. But the Reds have other alternatives. Left-hander Jeff Francis went eight innings and allowed one run on three hits for Louisville Friday night. They could also skip Leake next turn with Monday’s off day.

“The game just ended,” Baker said. “How am I supposed to even think about that? Kind of premature to ask me about. Right now, we haven’t thought about it.”

Leake went 12-9 with a 3.86 ERA last year.

“We’ve got to get Leakie straightened out,” Baker said. “He’s better than that.”

Leake has struggled in all but his first start of the year. In his second start, he blew a 5-0 lead and got a no-decision. He’s given up eight earned runs on 17 hits in 9 1/3 innings over his last two starts.

Leake said he is fine physically.

“I’m just trying to figure out throwing strikes and what not to throw,” Leake said. “I’m just kind of stuck in the middle.”

Leake allowed only an infield single in the first two innings. But the Astros touched him up for two runs in the third and four in the fourth.

“He’s missing spots at critical times,” Baker said. “He was pretty good at times. Then other times, he missed his spots. You can’t give Wandy Rodriguez with the ERA of (1.42) too big of a lead. You can’t go the bullpen that early either.”

The Reds got nothing going against left-hander Rodriguez until the fifth. Jay Bruce, who was 1-for-27 against Rodriguez, singled. Pinch-hitter Todd Frazier tripled to drive Bruce in and make it 6-1.

The Reds added a run in the sixth and probably should have gotten more. Drew Stubbs led off with a single. Joey Votto followed with a 13-pitch at-bat. It ended with a laser shot to left-center for an RBI double. Brandon Phillips walked. But the inning fizzled from there. Ryan Ludwick popped up. Scott Rolen sent one to the gap in left-center but center fielder Jordan Schafer ran it down. Bruce struck out to end the inning.

The Reds wasted a chance in the eighth. Drew Stubbs led off with a strikeout. But he reached when the ball bounced past the catcher. He stole second and went to third on catcher Castro’s throwing error. But Votto grounded out and Phillips and Ludwick struck out.

“We had some chances,” Baker said. “First and second, no outs, runner on third (no) outs. We didn’t get them home. We’ve got to get some of those clutch hits.”

Those runners left on base haunted the Reds a bit in the ninth.

Rolen started the ninth with a drive to left-center, but Schafer ran it down against the wall. Bruce and Devin Mesoraco followed with back-to-back home runs on consecutive pitches to make it 6-4.

That’s how it ended.http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120...|text|Reds

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[Image: http://cmsimg.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcsi....h=410&q=60]