MLB

• Walker, Pirates edge Reds

  Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Neil Walker went 3-for-4 with a career-high four runs batted in, as the Pittsburgh Pirates held on for a 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the second of a three-game series that was delayed by an hour and 25 minutes at the outset.

  Chris Snyder contributed a two-run single for Pittsburgh, which snapped a five-game slide and won for the third time in its last 12 overall. Jose Tabata went 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice in the win.

  Paul Maholm (7-9) worked six-plus innings to take the win. The left-hander, who was just 1-3 with a 6.23 ERA over his previous five starts, allowed four runs on nine hits, walked two and struck out a pair. Joel Hanrahan tossed a scoreless ninth to pick up his first save since May 24th of 2009 when he was with Washington.

  Brandon Phillips had three hits, including two doubles and drove in a pair for the Reds, who had won five of six coming in. Chris Heisey had a pair of RBI singles in defeat.

  Despite the loss, Cincinnati stayed on top of the National League Central by a half game over the St. Louis, which lost to Houston on Tuesday night.

  Mike Leake (7-3), making his first start since July 25, was roughed up for seven runs -- six earned -- on seven hits in five innings to take the loss.

  Trailing 7-4, Cincinnati put up a pair of runs off All-Star reliever Evan Meek in the eighth.

  Heisey and Laynce Nix each drew a walk and crossed the plate when Phillips laced a double to center. Pinch-hitter Joey Votto was given an intentional free pass before Meek retired Miguel Cairo on a pop up to keep it 7-6.

  Pittsburgh threatened to tack on some insurance in the home eighth, but came up empty and Hanrahan came in for the ninth. The right-hander served up a single to Scott Rolen leading off, before retiring the final three hitters -- the last two on strikeouts.

  Pittsburgh opened the scoring with a six-spot in the second. With runners on second and third, and one out, Snyder lined a single to left that plated both. Maholm then singled two batters later before a scary sight took place when Andrew McCutchen was hit in the back of the neck by Leake. The Pirates center fielder stayed down for several minutes before getting helped off the field by manager John Russell and a team trainer.

  With the bases now loaded, Tabata punched an RBI single through the left side and Walker cleared the bases with a three-run double high off the right-field wall to give the Pirates a 6-0 edge.

  Leake stepped to the plate with one out in the third and was promptly plunked in the leg by Maholm, which earned both starting pitchers and managers warnings from umpire Dana DeMuth.

  Heisey's RBI single in the fourth got the Reds on the board, but the Pirates got the run back in the fifth on Walker's run-scoring base hit.

  RBI singles by Heisey and Ramon Hernandez in the sixth cut the Cincinnati deficit to 7-3.

  Phillips doubled leading off the seventh and Paul Janish singled, and moved to second on an overthrow that chased Maholm. Meek took the mound and retired Cairo on a groundout that scored a run before setting down the next two hitters.

  Game Notes McCutchen was diagnosed with a neck contusion by the Pirates after X- rays came back negative and he is listed as day-to-day...Meek singled in the seventh for his first major league hit...Cincinnati has still won seven of 12 versus Pittsburgh this year.

  08/03 23:58:24 ET