PITTSBURGH – Nate McLouth’s run-scoring single allowed Pittsburgh to stop a 22-inning scoreless streak in a span of only three batters and the Pirates held on to beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-6 on Saturday night as Ross Ohlendorf won his third in a row.

McLouth had three hits and scored three times and Ramon Vazquez’s two-run single keyed the four-run first inning that got the Pittsburgh offense going following consecutive shutout losses. The Pirates had lost four in a row and five of seven.

The Reds, down 8-4 starting the ninth, scored twice and had the bases loaded with two out before Pirates closer Matt Capps struck out Alex Gonzalez, who hit a three-run homer earlier in the game.

Reds pitchers were working on their own streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings, but starter Micah Owings (1-3) gave up a run before he could get an out. Nyjer Morgan, Freddy Sanchez and McLouth singled for a run, Adam LaRoche was hit by a pitch to force in a run and Vazquez’s line-drive single into right field made it 4-0.

The Pirates had four hits in the first inning and 13 overall, or nearly twice as many as the seven they had during a scoreless streak that began in the sixth inning of their 6-5 loss to Milwaukee on Tuesday. They were shut out by the Brewers 1-0 on two hits Wednesday and managed only five singles in losing to the Reds 4-0 on Friday.

The Pirates added a run in the third on Brandon Moss’ run-scoring single – only his second RBI in 63 at-bats.

Ohlendorf (3-2) gave up Gonzalez’s second homer of the season in the fourth to cut it to 5-3, but those were the only runs he permitted over six innings. The former Yankees reliever has given up six runs in 20 innings over his last three starts, lasting seven innings twice and six once, since losing his first two decisions.

McLouth’s return Friday following a six-game layoff with a rib cage injury helped pick up the Pirates, who were missing one-third of their lineup due to injuries earlier in the week. Catcher Ryan Doumit is out for two months with a broken bone in his right wrist and shortstop Jack Wilson is expected to be out at least another week with a sprained finger.

Each of McLouth’s three hits created runs. He singled leading off the third and singled during a two-run seventh that was kept going by second baseman Brandon Phillips’ error for misplaying the throw on an apparent double-play grounder.

Owings gave up five runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings as the Reds lost for the fourth time in 12 road games.

Notes: Owings, one of baseball’s best hitting pitchers, went 0-for-3 to cut his average to .286. His .667 career average (6-for-9) against Pittsburgh coming in was the highest of any player over the last three seasons, based on a minimum of nine at-bats. … The Reds haven’t had three consecutive shutouts since June 21-23, 1963; the Pirates haven’t been shut out three times in a row since Aug. 28-30, 1968, the season when offense declined so much the pitching mound was lowered by 5 inches a year later.

AP-ES-05-02-09 2219EDT