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CINCINNATI — They are everybody's whipping boys — the reason the sun doesn't shine some days, the reason the cereal is soggy some mornings and the reason the garage door sticks.

If one doesn't give up on them, the Cincinnati Reds still break your heart by finding new and imaginative ways to lose games — like Friday night, Aug. 8, when they came from behind late only to lose in 10 innings to the Houston Astros, 9-5.

And the way they do it is agonizing to those still rooting for them.

Closer Francisco Cordero, the $46 million man, was asked to guard a 5-5 tie in the 10th inning and retired the first two easily.

Then Miguel Tejada doubled, Lance Berkman walked (he was 0-for-9), Carlos Lee doubled for two runs (career RBIs Nos. 1,000 and 1,001), and Hunter Pence homered for two more.

Start the postgame fireworks while the players trudge to the clubhouse for a nibble at the postgame spread, a quick shower and a silent ride home.

It all added up to the Reds falling to a season's worst 13 games under .500, a season's worst 18 1/2 games out of first place and Excedrin headache No. 65 (losses).

Lee's tie-breaking double nearly was snagged by center fielder Corey Patterson after a long, long run. Earlier in the game, he saved two runs with a wall-crashing catch. This time the ball ticked off his glove.

"I was close, but that's all I had, nothing left in the tank," said Patterson. "I was going full-speed, all-out, and I think it ticked my glove."

Said manager Dusty Baker after Lee had four hits and drove in three runs, "That man knows how to drive in runs. How could he not make the All-Star team? If Corey catches that ball, it would have been big-time the greatest. He ran a long way."

Starter Johnny Cueto was in early misery when he gave up solo home runs in the first inning to leadoff hitter Kaz Matsui and to Lee, needing 26 pitches to get through the inning.

The Reds scored four, two on Jeff Keppinger's double and two on Brandon Phillips' 17th homer to make it 4-2.

Houston scored one in the fifth, cutting it to 4-3, and Patterson made a leaping catch against the wall on catcher Humberto Quintero to save two runs.

Relief pitcher Nick Masek had two outs and nobody on in the seventh when Michael Bourn squibbed one up the first-base line. All Masek had to do was pick it up and tag Bourn. He picked it up OK, then dropped it for an error.

Quintero then homered to push the Astros in front, 5-4, and yank a possible victory out of Cueto's clutches.

"That's Quintero's first home run in a couple of years," Baker said. "When it goes bad, whatever can go bad, goes bad."

The Reds drew even in the bottom of the seventh on a double by David Ross and a single by Keppinger, then three innings of futility.

"What's tough is that we came back, the guys kept fighting," said Baker, who is looking for ways to get some sleep.

Victories would help.

"I mean Coco (Cordero) had two outs and nobody on base, and the next thing you know there is four runs up there," he added. "That's what's tough when you see that happen over and over. And it isn't just one or two runs, it's four runs."

Baker went back to the first batter of the game, Matsui. A pitch was close, and Cueto thought he had Strike 3. But it was called a ball, and the next pitch was ripped out of the park.

"That's what happens, too, when you aren't going good," Baker said. "I asked (catcher) David Ross about the pitch, and he said it was outside. It was close.

"Then the next pitch is a home run, and then Lee hits the foul pole for a home run, and it was just another bad night," Baker said.

Today?s game

Who: Astros (Moehler 7-4) at Reds (Arroyo 10-8)

When: 7:10 p.m.

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

TV: FSN Ohio