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By Hal McCoy, Staff Writer Updated 9:11 PM Saturday, August 29, 2009

CINCINNATI — Just when it looked as if the Witness Protection Program Reds came out of hiding to play bold and boisterous baseball, they reverted to futility form.

A bunch of guys who need photo IDs to get into their own clubhouse won five games in a row, including the first game of a three-game series against the lordly Los Angeles Dodgers.

Then came Saturday, Aug. 29, and another reality check: Dodgers 11, Reds 4. Call the coroner.

Left-hander Matt Maloney, hiding out in Louisville most of the season, gave up two runs in each of the first two innings that included a two-run home run to Manny Ramirez. Then he steadied and the Reds displayed a pulse by scoring four in the third for a 4-4 tie.

Two amazing things happened in that fourth inning. Craig (0 for 22) Tatum and Paul Janish both hit their first home runs and Pete Rose, sitting behind home plate, signed an autograph for free.

Rafael Furcal homered in the fifth to give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead, then the Reds twice in a row left the bases loaded, including in the fifth with no outs, and the scribbling was on the dugout wall.

The Dodgers scored six in the seventh, including a three-run homer by Matt Kemp and they slammed four homers for the Fox television cameras.

“Maloney threw the ball pretty good, other than early when he was getting the ball up,” said manager Dusty Baker. “Both those first two home runs wouldn’t have been home runs without the wind blowing out to right.”

Said Maloney with a shrug, “Yeah, Ramirez got it just enough to get it out.”

Baker said it was a good ballgame, “until the seventh. Carlos Fisher has been outstanding all year and that was his worst outing he’s had.”

Fisher started the seventh and retired nobody, giving up four runs and five hits, including Kemp’s home run.

Pinch-hitter Andre Ethier led the seventh with a double and Furcal dropped a bunt. Fisher fielded it, hesitated, then threw wildly to first and it quickly became ring-around-the-bases.

“That bunt play opened the door,” said Baker. “Fisher looked at third but the runner had presence of mind to stay, then he took too much time with the speed of Furcal running to first.”

Of leaving the bases full two innings in a row when it was still 5-4, Baker said, “That really hurt, especially when we leave them with nobody out and had just scored four runs (in the third).”

In the sixth inning with the bases full and two out, Scott Rolen scorched one toward second, but Orlando Hudson made a stupendous play and the Reds were history.

“Hudson made a great play on Rolen where if he doesn’t make that play we take the lead and who knows how many more we would have scored,” said Baker. “That’s what happens when you play good defense. You put your team in a position to win the game — the way they did.”

The Reds looked futile early against knuckle-baller Charlie Haegler — no runs, no hits in the first two innings. Then they chased him with the four-run third that tied it.

Maloney came back from Louisville armed with two new pitches, a sinker and a cutter.

“I got into a better rhythm after the first two innings and the ball started coming out of my hand better,” said Maloney. “But I gave up that home run to Furcal, a two-seam sinker away that might have been up, but it had good run to it. I thought it was foul, but it kept going and got over the fence (a wind-blown right field shot just like Ramirez’s).

“I used my cutter a lot to set up my changeup,” said Maloney. “The sinker was good and there was just a couple up a little bit. I have to make sure I keep that down.”

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