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DENVER -- The Cincinnati Reds staggered into Coors Field with the worst road record in the majors and just one win in their past 13 games. And as if on cue, they trailed by four runs after three innings. But the Reds took the lead with a five-run uprising in the fourth and went on to beat the Colorado Rockies 11-8.
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The Reds hit five home runs -- solo shots by Joey Votto, his 200th career homer, Zack Cosart, Eugenio Suarez and Adam Duvall and a two-run blast by Duvall, who had his first career two-homer game. The two homers gave Duvall 13 for the season and 11 this month.
Votto also had a two-run double in the fourth when Duvall homered and the Reds chased Rockies starter Chad Bettis (4-4) on their way to just their fifth win in 24 road games this season.
The Rockies fell to 1-3 on their current homestand and 9-13 at Coors Field this season. They have been outscored 29-13 while yielding 50 hits and losing three straight games and have dropped nine of their past 12 to fall a season-worst four games below .500.
"We have to win this game, against these guys," Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez said. "They have some really good players out there, but they've been limping. When you have a team like that, you can't give them a break, and that's what we did today."
Starter Dan Straily (3-2) yielded four two-runs in the third that gave the Rockies a 5-1 lead but then pitched three scoreless innings.
"In that long third inning, I had five opportunities to get out of it and just wasn't able to execute enough pitches per at-bat," Straily said. "You got to be able to flip the switch and understand it's only the third inning at that point and continue pitching. And I was able to get us through six."
The Reds bullpen entered the game with a 6.45 ERA, the highest in the majors. Blake Wood relieved Straily and immediately found trouble with a leadoff walk followed by Carlos Gonzalez's 200th career double. Wood retired the next two batters but walked Trevor Story to load the bases before Daniel Descalso grounded out.
Tony Cingrani issued a leadoff walk in the ninth followed by Carlos Gonzalez's ninth homer and third in three games. Cingrani then walked Mark Reynolds and a two-out run-scoring single to Descalso, who doubled home three runs in the four-run third.
J.C. Ramirez came on to face Dustin Garneau and got him to fly out to earn his first career save in his 54th career appearance.
After Votto put the Reds up 7-5 with a leadoff homer in the seventh, his eighth of the season, they tacked on three runs in the eighth against Miguel Castro. That rally included Suarez's 10th homer and run-scoring singles by Cozart and Ivan DeJesus. Duvall led off the ninth with his 13th homer -- and 11th of the month.
"He's the best player on our team right now," said second baseman Brandon Phillips, who left the game in the seventh with soreness in the left ankle that he injured Sunday.
Staked to a four-run lead in the third, Bettis quickly gave it all back and was knocked out. Duvall hit a two-run homer after Jay Bruce led off with a double. Bettis walked Straily with two outs and paid dearly for that transgression when Cozart followed with an infield single to load the bases, and Votto doubled home two runs. That hit finished Bettis, who lasted a season-low 3 2/3 innings and has yielded 15 hits and 13 runs in 8 1/3 innings in his past two starts. He was charged with a sixth run when Phillips singled off Gonzalez Germen.
Referring to walking Straily, Bettis said, "You can't have that happen at that point. It's an at-bat that swings the whole game. Have to be better than that, and (I) have faith that I will be."
The walk came on a nine-pitch at-bat. Straily fouled off three 3-2 fastballs before Bettis missed with a slider.
"It's no secret that my at-bats haven't exactly been competitive..." Straily said. "I was hoping I could fight stuff off and get it to ball four because I didn't really think I had much chance to put a ball in play hard and statistically speaking I didn't. I just was trying to work a walk, and it worked out in my favor that time."
Cozart homered on Bettis' first pitch of the game. Not to be outdone, Charlie Blackmon hit a leadoff homer, driving Straily's second pitch into the second deck in right field.
NOTES: Reds SS Zack Cozart's leadoff homer was the seventh of his career and third this season. ... Rockies CF Charlie Blackmon extended his career-high on-base streak to 25 consecutive games with his 14th career leadoff homer and second this season. ... Reds 3B Eugenio Suarez broke an 0-for-28 skid with a single in the fourth. ... Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado was given a planned day off after playing each of the team's first 49 games. ... Rockies C Nick Hundley (strained left oblique) might join the team in San Diego on Friday. He's scheduled this week to play two games in extended spring training followed by two rehab games for Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Reds C Ramon Cabrera has been bothered by a sore left ring finger and after Sunday's game at Milwaukee, he traveled to Cincinnati. He was cleared to play after undergoing an MRI on Monday morning and was en route to Denver.
