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CINCINNATI — It isn't what one would call a solid building block — more like an infant's toy block — but it's a start and the Cincinnati Reds will take it and hope to construct something major from here.

With a 7-6, 10-inning win over the Florida Marlins Wednesday, May 14 in Great American Ball Park, the Reds are in the happy zone of a three-game winning streak, matching their longest of the season, three straight in San Francisco.

This one was messy. The Reds led 6-0 going into the ninth, but Mike Lincoln and closer Francisco Cordero gave up six runs, including a game-tying three-run blast by Cody Ross — Cordero's first blown save this season and the Reds' first blown save.

That cost starter Bronson Arroyo a well-deserved win, but it enabled rookie Paul Janish, making only his second major-league at-bat, to poke a game-winning, game-ending single to right field.

It got Janish a bloody nose from a teammate in the aftermath celebration, but to Janish it was blood well-shed.

"It's hard to explain the feeling and I could say I hope it only gets better, but that's pretty hard to beat," said Janish. "It was pretty ideal. The bloody nose was well worth it and I'd doing it again tomorrow if I got the chance."

Manager Dusty Baker said he not only felt Janish would come through, he predicted it.

"Like Yogi (Berra) always says, 'It ain't over 'til it's over,' and he ain't lying," said Baker. "To get a game-winning hit in your first major-league game? That's heaven sent. I said in the dugout, 'Janish is going to win this game.' You know, sometimes it's your day and circumstances couldn't be prevented because it might have been his day. It certainly was his day."

Arroyo, pitching on three days of rest, finger-painted his second straight work of art — no runs, five hits, two walks, five strikeouts. He punctuated his night by striking out the side in his last inning.

"I felt stronger as I went along," said Arroyo. "I've been working out harder and I just feel like I can manage the game with 120 pitches and still be strong enough to beat guys in the seventh and eighth innings. I really couldn't prior to a start in St. Louis."

And he was performing on only three days of rest instead of the usual four.

"Three days rest? I think you feel better," he said. "The command is there, you feel strong. You haven't had that much time off and first thing you know you're back on it again and that's great. I was happy with seven zeros, that's for sure."

The Reds owned only two hits through four innings off righthander Ricky Nolasco before breaking through in the fifth for two runs and Nolasco's elimination.

It began with two outs and nobody on — a double-kiss base hit by Corey Patterson that ricocheted both off pitcher Nolasco and second baseman Dan Uggla.

Jerry Hairston Jr., filling in for broken-kneed shortstop Jeff Keppinger, tripled to right-center for a run and after the Marlins walked Ken Griffey Jr. intentionally, Brandon Phillips blooped a broken-bat single to right to make it 2-0.

Adam Dunn unloaded a full-count home run with one out in the sixth, his seventh home run this season and 245th of his career, placing him fifth on Cincinnati's all-time list, and pushing his team's lead to 3-0.

The Reds thought they put it to bed with three in the seventh, including a run-scoring double by Ken Griffey Jr., for a 6-0 lead.

Arroyo was replaced after seven and as part of a double-switch Janish made his major-league debut at shortstop. And the first two Marlins tested him, shooting hard grounders his way. He gunned them down.

"When I went into the game, we had a comfortable lead and I was excited," said Janish. "I want to get a couple of ground balls to get it out of the way, take it all in."

When he flied deep to left in the bottom of the eighth he was given a loud ovation as he ran to the dugout, as loud as 12,756 can get.

Then came boos when the Marlins scored six in the top of the ninth.

With two outs and nobody on in the 10th, pinch-hitter David Ross walked and Paul Bako walked. Pitcher Johnny Cueto pinch-ran for Ross and scored when Janish punched a two-strike single to right.

Today's game

Who: Marlins

(Miller 3-2) at

Reds (Belisle 1-3)

When: 7:10 p.m.

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WLW-AM (700); WONE-AM (980)

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