CINCINNATI (AP) - Leadoff man Orlando Cabrera got the NL's top-hitting team going with three doubles and a single Wednesday night and Aaron Harang rebounded from his shortest start of the season, leading the Cincinnati Reds over the San Francisco Giants 6-3.
Cabrera scored three times. Scott Rolen hit a pair of RBI doubles and Jonny Gomes drove in three.
Harang (5-5) gave up five hits and two runs in seven innings. The right-hander lasted a season-low four innings in his previous appearance.
Buster Posey hit his first career homer for the Giants. His two-run shot in the second inning landed in the upper deck in left field.
Jonathan Sanchez (4-5) had control problems and lasted only five innings.
Other than Posey, Harang had little problem with a lineup that's got several players in deep slumps. He escaped a two-out, bases-loaded threat in the seventh when Freddy Sanchez - currently the Giants' best hitter - lined out to right.
Closer Francisco Cordero, pitching in a non-save situation, gave up an RBI double by Andres Torres in the ninth.
San Francisco had won 10 of its last 14 on the strength of its starting rotation, among the best in the majors. Sanchez couldn't keep his fastball or slider in the strike zone often enough. He gave up seven hits and three runs in five innings, needing 93 pitches to get that far. He also walked Gomes with the bases loaded.
The Reds are vying with St. Louis for first place in the NL Central largely because of a balanced offense that leads the league in hits, runs and homers. Cabrera and Rolen - both 35-year-old infielders - have been the catalysts, steadying a young lineup.
Rolen has hit safely in his last nine games. Cabrera matched his career high for hits, and nearly scored a fourth time - umpire Gary Darling ruled that catcher Eli Whiteside brushed his leg as he ran past while trying to score on Brandon Phillips' single.
Drew Stubbs hit a solo homer off Sergio Romo, and Gomes added a two-run double off left-hander Jeremy Affeldt, making his first appearance since May 30 because of a sore hamstring.
NOTES: Giants OF Mark DeRosa will have more tests on his left wrist Thursday. He's been sidelined for a month because of numbness in the hand. ... Reds RHP Edinson Volquez is expected to make his first rehab start at Class A on Saturday. Volquez had reconstructive elbow surgery Aug. 30. He's nearing the end of a 50-game suspension for using a banned fertility substance. ... Hits king Pete Rose watched from a seat behind home plate and got an ovation when he was showed on the videoboard. Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, who is working with the Reds, later joined him. Rose occasionally attends games in his hometown.