Volquez, Votto lead Reds to 5-3 win over Marlins

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez pitches against the Florida Marlins in the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, May 13, 2008, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

CINCINNATI—Edinson Volquez pitched six effective innings, Joey Votto homered and the Cincinnati Reds earned a costly 5-3 victory over the Florida Marlins on Tuesday night.

Reds shortstop Jeff Keppinger fouled a pitch off his leg in the second and X-rays revealed a broken left kneecap. He drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-0 and played defense in the third and fourth innings before departing.

The team said Keppinger is scheduled for an MRI exam Wednesday.

Pinch-hitter Cody Ross homered in the eighth to cut Cincinnati's lead to 5-3, and Jeremy Hermida milked a leadoff walk in the ninth against Francisco Cordero. Hermida advanced to second on a wild pitch but Cordero retired Hanley Ramirez and Jorge Cantu on groundouts and struck out Dan Uggla for his seventh save.

Florida has lost two straight after winning seven in a row.

Reds slugger Ken Griffey Jr. got the day off and remained stuck on 597 career home runs. Griffey has not homered in his last 63 at-bats since connecting against Houston's Chris Sampson on April 23.

Volquez (6-1) allowed one earned run and a season-high seven hits with two walks. His National League-leading ERA rose from 1.06 to 1.12 and he struck out five to increase his league-best total to 57.

Florida left-hander Mark Hendrickson, who hadn't walked more than three batters in any of his previous eight starts, walked three in the second inning to help the Reds score twice.

Votto went deep in the seventh to give the Reds a 5-2 lead.

Hendrickson (5-2) allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings. He issued a season-high five walks and struck out one.

Hendrickson, who had won his last five decisions, absorbed his first loss since opening day against the New York Mets.

Keppinger entered leading Cincinnati with a .320 batting average and tied for third in the National League with a .406 average with runners in scoring position. He took over as the starting shortstop when Alex Gonzalez opened the season on the disabled list with a broken left knee.

Notes:@ Reds RHP Bronson Arroyo is scheduled to make his fourth career start on three days' rest Wednesday against Florida. Arroyo is 1-0 with a 3.05 ERA (20 2-3 innings, seven earned runs) and one shutout in his previous three starts on three days' rest. ... Hendrickson had two hits, giving him six this season, two more than his total from his previous five seasons ... Ross' home run was the third pinch-hit homer of his career.