PITTSBURGH -- Tucker Barnhart drove in three runs and Joey Votto hit a homer on his 33rd birthday Saturday night as the Cincinnati Reds, far out of playoff contention, refused to quit in an 8-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

The Pirates (69-71), trying to stay in the chase for a National League wild-card spot, lost for the second night in a row and the 10th time in the past 12 games. They missed a chance to climb back to .500.

Cincinnati (59-82) pounded out 15 hits against four Pittsburgh pitchers.

Jung Ho Kang hit his fourth homer in five days to help the Pirates take a 4-0 lead, but Cincinnati scored seven straight runs in the fourth and fifth innings for a 7-4 lead.

Pittsburgh drew within 7-6 on Josh Harrison's one-out, two-run double to the right-center field gap in the sixth. However, Harrison pulled up rounding first, barely reaching second. He lay there until medical assistance arrived, although he was able to eventually walk off on his own and left the game. The Pirates said Harrison had right groin discomfort.

Votto's 23rd homer, to right, made it 8-6 in the ninth. That was important as Francisco Cervelli made it 8-7 with an RBI single in the ninth.

Neither starter made it past the fourth, and the score was tied 4-4 when they exited.

Robert Stephenson made his fourth career appearance, his first on the road. He made it just three innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter, allowing four runs and five hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

Josh Smith (3-1) relieved Stephenson and allowed two runs and two hits, picking up the win. Tony Cingrani pitched the ninth for his 17th save of the season.

Drew Hutchison made his Pittsburgh debut -- he was acquired from Toronto on Aug. 1 in the Francisco Liriano trade. He left for a pinch-hitter after giving up four runs and eight hits in four innings, with three strikeouts and no walks.

Rookie Trevor Williams (1-1) allowed three runs and four hits in the fifth to take the loss.

The Pirates took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Josh Bell's RBI double and Kang's one-out RBI single. Stephenson got Cervelli to ground into a double play to end the inning, but not before seven batters ran his pitch count to 36.

Kang's two-out, two-run homer in the fourth, his 18 of the season, just cleared the left-field fence and was just inside the foul pole. That gave Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead.

The Reds tied it 4-4 in the fourth when they roughed up Hutchison with five singles.

Cincinnati loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth against Williams, who walked in a run for a 5-4 Reds lead. Two outs later, Barnhart drove in two runs with a single down the right field line to make it 7-4.

NOTES: Cincinnati CF Billy Hamilton (oblique) missed his sixth straight game. He was hurt last Sunday, and his timetable for recovery initially was said to be 5-7 days. ... The only change in the Reds' lineup from Friday was C Tucker Barnhart in for C Ramon Cabrera. ... Pittsburgh LF Starling Marte (back spasms) was out of the lineup for the fifth game in a row. ... Pirates RHP A.J. Schugel (upper arm) and RHP Neftali Feliz (arm) played catch Friday and are feeling better, manager Clint Hurdle said. Neither is on the DL. ... RHP Chad Kuhl, whose spot in Pirates the rotation was skipped Saturday, is scheduled to start Thursday at Philadelphia. ...RHP Drew Hutchison started and became the 51st player used by Pittsburgh this season. The franchise record is 52 players, set in 2011.