CINCINNATI (AP) -- Aaron Boone had quite a weekend -- four homers
and more curtain calls than catcalls.

	Aaron Boone Third Base Cincinnati Reds Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R SB AVG 115 22 67 64 25 .252

Boone started Cincinnati's weekend series with a three-homer
game, then completed a sweep Sunday with an extra-inning shot that
had teammates hopping on him at home plate.

The Reds blew a late five-run lead, but Boone hit a two-run
homer in the 12th inning for a 9-7 victory over the San Diego
Padres that ended 6 hours, 3 minutes after the first pitch.

The slender third baseman went 7-for-16 during the three-game
series with four homers, two doubles, a single and nine RBI. Eight
of his last 14 hits have been homers.

"I hope he stays Mark McGwire for a while,'' said closer Danny
Graves, who blew a two-run lead in the ninth.

Boone was a prime target for angry fans in the first half of the
season, when he slumped but kept a prominent spot in the lineup.
The charges of nepotism -- his father, Bob, is the manager -- melted
away during the cascade of homers.

Even when he was struggling, Boone had a knack for hitting late
home runs.

"I'm usually able to relax pretty good in those spots,'' said
Boone, who has a career-high 22 homers. "I realize the pressure is
on the pitcher more than it's on the batter.''

Boone's two-strike homer off Brandon Villafuerte (1-1) ended a
game that was extended by rain and the bullpens' failures to hold
up under pressure.

The Reds led 7-2 after six innings, but their relievers failed.
Bubba Trammell hit a solo homer in the seventh off Scott Williamson
and a two-run shot in the ninth off Graves that tied it at 7.

A storm moved through in the bottom of the ninth, causing a
1-hour, 33-minute delay. Both teams loaded the bases in the 11th
but failed to score, and Jose Rijo (5-3) escaped a threat in the
12th.

Boone took it from there, moving the Reds back into sole
possession of second place in the NL Central. A loss could have
sent them dragging into a stretch of 17 consecutive games against
playoff contenders.

"People would have talked about it as the beginning of the
end,'' he said. "But we've been resilient. In a sense, we've had
nine lives. At some point, we've got to go on a pretty good run if
we're going to win this thing.''

Barry Larkin got back in the lineup despite a creaky neck and
hit a three-run homer that put the Reds ahead early. Austin Kearns
also had a two-run single, and Ken Griffey Jr. hit a sacrifice fly
before leaving the game because the score was lopsided.

It didn't stay that way for long.

Brian Moehler gave up Ryan Klesko's two-run homer in the first,
then shut the Padres down as he went six innings. Trammell's homer
got the comeback going in the seventh.

Ramon Vazquez doubled home a run in the eighth off Gabe White,
and Graves relieved and gave up Phil Nevin's sacrifice fly to the
warning track that cut it to 7-5.

Graves opened the ninth by walking Deivi Cruz on four pitches --
the free-swinging shortstop's 18th walk in 409 plate appearance.
Graves bounced a sinker for a wild pitch, then gave up Trammell's
10th homer on a 1-2 pitch.

The Padres had a chance to pull ahead in the 11th, when John
Riedling walked the bases loaded, but Trenidad Hubbard lined out to
shortstop Juan Castro to end the threat.

"We had some things go our way to get back into the game, then
Hubbard hits that line drive right at somebody,'' Trammell said.

The Reds were encouraged to get solid starts the last two days
from Moehler and Ryan Dempster, who have been major disappointments
since they were acquired in trades last month.

Dempster pitched six shutout innings Saturday night in a 9-0
win, and Moehler had his best performance since the trade, allowing
six hits in six innings. Heading into the series, Dempster and
Moehler were 2-5 combined in eight starts with a 9.98 ERA.

Larkin put the Reds ahead 3-2 with a fourth-inning homer off
Bobby M. Jones, filling in for the injured Oliver Perez. It was
Larkin's seventh home run, and first since July 21.

Larkin's neck has locked up on him three times in the last 10
days, and the 38-year-old shortstop was out of the lineup Saturday
because it stiffened during batting practice.

Game notes
The Padres got their leadoff hitter on base in 10 of the 12
innings. ... Jones, acquired from the Mets on July 31, has
struggled since the All-Star break, giving up 10 runs in 12 1-3
innings. ... Padres OF Mark Kotsay was hit on the left hand by a
pitch in the eighth. He left the game, but X-rays were negative.
... Reds RHP Luis Pineda will have surgery later in the week to fix
a torn rotator cuff and labrum. Pineda has been on the DL since
July 3 with a sore shoulder. He went 1-3 with a 4.18 ERA in 24 relief appearances and two starts.