CINCINNATI - Even with three hits in his last 26 at-bats, Austin Kearns figured he would get to the plate as a pinch hitter under the right circumstances Sunday.

The Cincinnati outfielder got his chance in the seventh inning and took advantage.

Kearns hit a two-run single off John Grabow to tie the game and Felipe Lopez delivered the go-ahead hit as the Reds came from behind to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3.

"I've kind of been battling," Kearns said. "Nothing major, I think. I just need to relax and get some good at-bats. If it was a close game, I figured I'd get in there. As the inning went, (interim manager Jerry Narron) told me I'd probably be hitting in the pitcher's spot."

Jason LaRue homered and Rich Aurilia added an RBI single in a five-run seventh inning that gave the Reds back-to-back wins for the first time since a four-game winning streak from Aug 25-28.

LaRue broke up rookie Paul Maholm's shutout bid by hitting the first pitch of the seventh inning into the right-field bleachers for his 12th home run. After Edwin Encarnacion walked, Grabow (2-3) entered and gave up Chris Denorfia's double and Kearns' two-run single to tie it at 3.

Rick White relieved Grabow and, after hitting Ryan Freel, gave up consecutive run-scoring singles by Lopez and Aurilia. Mike Gonzalez came on for the Pirates to end the outburst.

"This is the effect of an overworked bullpen," Pittsburgh interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "I'm disappointed. I thought Grabow would do a good job. I let him face Kearns because he was 1-for-7 (in his career against Grabow), and I didn't want (left-handers Jacob) Cruz or (Sean) Casey to hit."

Maholm, in his third major league start, limited the Reds to two runs on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts in six-plus innings. He allowed just one runner past second base in the first six innings.

"I threw well, but it's still a bad feeling when your team doesn't come out on top," Maholm said. "I let them get the momentum back. I tried to get ahead of LaRue and left a pitch out over the plate. Then I tried to be too fine with (Encarnacion) and walked him."

Said Aurilia: "He's kind of sneaky. He throws across his body and he short-arms his pitches. You've got to feel him out. It took us a few times to get something going off of him."

The Pirates took the lead in the fourth. Brad Eldred had a two-out bloop single to center field and stole second before Ty Wigginton's double off the left-field wall.

Pittsburgh padded the lead in the seventh. Maholm drew a leadoff walk from Belisle and moved to second on Nate McLouth's single. McLouth was erased on Jack Wilson's fielder's choice, but Jason Bay drove in both runners with a double to the center-field warning track.