Tom Uhlman, Associated Press Cincinnati Reds outfielder Norris Hopper checks on Ryan Freel as he lies hurt on the field after the two collided as Freel caught a line drive off the bat of Pirates' Humberto Cota in the third inning yesterday. Click photo for larger image. More Coverage: Pirates Notebook: Clark remembers his Freel-like drama Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic Ron Cook: Too many people play blame game Inside the box score: Ian Snell has pitched at least seven innings in seven of his 11 starts for the Pirates. Today Game: Padres (LHP David Wells, 2-2, 4.85) vs. Pirates (LHP Tom Gorzelanny, 5-3, 2.51), 7:05 p.m., PNC Park. TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7). Key matchup: Pirates against Padres closer Trevor Hoffman. The right-hander, the career saves leader with 497, has converted 15 of 17 save opportunities, including his past 11. Of note: Gorzelanny has allowed two earned runs or less in each of his past five starts.

CINCINNATI -- It's not often that a guy makes a game-saving catch in the third inning, but that's what Ryan Freel might have done for the Cincinnati Reds yesterday -- at the Pirates' expense.

The Cincinnati center fielder made a sprinting catch of Humberto Cota's line drive in right-center field just before running into right fielder Norris Hopper.

Hopper's elbow caught Freel's jaw, dropping him to the warning track hard. Freel lay motionless for almost 13 minutes before being taken from the stadium in an ambulance.

When play resumed, the Reds -- losers of 20 of their previous 25 games -- played like world champions and beat the Pirates, 4-0.

"That's the kind of game we needed -- pitching and defense," said catcher David Ross, whose two-run home run off Ian Snell in the fifth inning started the Cincinnati offense. "I thought Freel's play was kind of the turning point for us."

"I think it pumped them up a little bit," Cota said. "They played great defense. There were at least seven or eight plays that could have gone for hits."

Freel was taken to nearby Good Samaritan Hospital, where CAT scans on his head and neck were normal. He was diagnosed with contusions to the head and neck. He will be re-evaluated today and will go on the disabled list.

"He goes out there hard every play," said Kyle Lohse, who wound up with a six-hit victory. "It's fun to watch, but it's scary."

It's difficult to imagine a scarier scene on a baseball field than the one involving Freel and Hopper and its lengthy aftermath.

"It takes the life out of the game for a period of time," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "You pray. You do. That had the potential of being a real disaster."

Freel, sprinting full-out, speared the ball just before hitting Hopper.

"He hit the ground, but he was limp," Hopper said. "I screamed his name about four times right in his ear. His eyes slowly opened. I said, 'Just lay there. They're coming.' "

Medical personnel reached Freel, lying against the wall with his back to the field, almost within seconds.

He was placed on a straight board, his head and neck stabilized, then put into the ambulance.

The fans gave Freel a standing ovation. Several Pirates applauded from their dugout.

"I said a little prayer for him," said Freddy Sanchez, who has great respect for Freel. "He just plays so hard and plays the game the right way. He's a good person and a great player. I hope he's OK and gets better quickly."

"It's always scary to see a guy unconscious," Cota said.

Cota continued to jog around the bases, unsure if Freel had held onto the ball. Second-base umpire Adam Dowdy went to the wall and signaled "Out."

Some Pirates watched a replay and felt the ball had come loose and that Hopper put the ball into Freel's glove.

"I wish this was like the NFL," Cota said. "You throw a red flag and challenge the play. I have about a one-in-a-million chance of hitting an inside-the-park home run. I missed my chance."

Immediately after the resumption of play, Lohse struck out Snell. Then, Jose Bautista hit a hard ground ball on which shortstop Alex Gonzalez made a great play for the third out.

It would be that way for the Pirates the rest of the afternoon.

They had runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth, but Gonzalez reached up and caught Bautista's line drive.

Third baseman Edwin Encarnacion made a diving play to his left to rob Xavier Nady of a hit in the seventh. Seconds later, Gonzalez went to his left to rob Jack Wilson.

In the eighth, with runners on first and third and one out, Chris Duffy hit a hard smash right to first baseman Scott Hatteberg a step from the bag. Hatteberg fielded the ball, stepped on first base and threw to the plate to nail Cota.

"Lohse did a very good job," Tracy said. "He pounded the strike zone all day long -- and he had some help, too. Their defense was terrific -- especially on the left side of the infield. We didn't lose. They beat us."

Lohse had allowed 50 hits and 28 earned runs over 29¹/₃ innings in his previous six starts -- all losses.

Yesterday, he faced a team that had scored 31 runs in the previous 19 innings.

Go figure.

"He just threw strikes, and they played great defense," Cota said.

Snell wasn't bad himself.

He allowed one hit through the first four innings and began the fifth by hitting Gonzalez with a 2-0 pitch. Interestingly, Lohse had hit Cota with a pitch in the top of the fifth.

One out after Gonzalez was hit, Ross hit a low 2-2 pitch into the left-field seats.

"I'm sure the one pitch Ian would like back was the pitch to Ross," Tracy said. "He was trying to bounce the breaking ball in the dirt and left it up just enough."

"It was a good pitch -- at his shoestrings," Snell said. "No excuses, but this ballpark's a joke. That wouldn't have gone out at PNC [Park]."

Adam Dunn, 0 for 11 with five strikeouts lifetime against Snell as he stepped in, doubled in the sixth and scored on Encarnacion's single. Encarnacion doubled in the final run in the eighth.