CINCINNATI -- It's not to say that manager John Russell wasn't confident in his bullpen. It's just that he had watched enough leads vanish already on Tuesday night that he wasn't about to be satisfied with just a one-run lead.

And with that mentality, he sent shortstop Jack Wilson to the plate swinging in the 11th inning of a tied ballgame in a situation that typically screams "bunt."

Russell's decision proved crucial, and his instinct couldn't have been more on target, as Wilson catalyzed a two-run inning that would ultimately stand in a mentally exhausting, but gutsy, 6-5 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park.

"I've been kind of watching the last few games, and every time we've played for one run, it hasn't been working out for us," Russell said. "It was at the point in the game where playing for one run wasn't going to do us any good."

A two-run lead hadn't worked in the eighth, as Damaso Marte surrendered a two-run homer to Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips that erased a 3-1 lead. It was the second blown save in four days for Marte, with both blown saves being the result of home runs.

A one-run lead then wouldn't hold in the 10.

After riding a two-out, RBI double by Jason Michaels to reclaim the lead in the top of the inning, closer Matt Capps would blow his second save in as many days, and the Pirates' second of the game, when he allowed the Reds to match that run with one of their own in the bottom half.

So bunting for one run in the 11th, well, that was out of the question.

"I think after our attempts the last couple of days, [we were] tired of going to small ball," said Wilson, who admitted having to do a double-take at the sign from third-base coach Tony Beasley. "It worked out real well for us."

Wilson came to the plate behind Xavier Nady, who led off the inning with a pinch-hit double. With the intention of trying to drive the ball to the right side of the field, Wilson did a little better, lacing a line drive toward right fielder Ken Griffey Jr.

Griffey made a diving attempt at the ball, only to watch it skip under his glove and all the way to the wall. Nady scored easily, while Wilson hustled to third.

"We needed that bounce," said Wilson, who finished with a three-hit night. "He catches that ball, I don't think [Nady] makes it over, and it's a different ballgame."

Russell's decision to let Wilson swing away then paid off two-fold, as outfielder Nate McLouth followed with a line-drive single to left-center field to give the Pirates a necessary two-run cushion.

"In this ballpark, against [that] team, you never feel safe, no matter how many runs you are up," McLouth said afterward. "We feel fortunate to come out with a win."

There would be no collective exhale, however, as the Pirates took the field to protect that lead. With the entire back end of the bullpen already having been exhausted, Russell was left with two options, T.J. Beam and Romulo Sanchez, both of whom had been called up from Triple-A over the weekend.

Russell summoned Sanchez for the right-hander's first big league appearance of the season and his first Major League save opportunity.

Sanchez would struggle with his control, throwing only 13 of his 25 pitches for strikes. Despite allowing the Reds to creep back to within one run, however, Sanchez would get outfielder Corey Patterson to fly out with the potential tying run on third.

"To bring Sanchez into that situation is tough for anybody, especially in his first outing," Russell said. "Usually those games are decided by something funny, something out of the ordinary."

Despite the two blown saves, this would be a night where often-unsung members of the Pirates 'pen would carry the load.

There was reliever Sean Burnett, who preserved a 3-3 tie in the ninth after giving up a leadoff single. Denny Bautista and John Grabow, too, deserve credit for bailing starter Zach Duke out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the sixth by allowing the Reds to score just once.

"It's fun to watch the guys continue to battle and come back," Russell said. "It's just one of those things when you play these guys at home; they're tough to beat."

Duke's start would be all but lost by the end of Tuesday's game. He finished five-plus innings, allowing just one run on six hits. His command wasn't as precise as it had been in recent starts, but as Doug Mientkiewicz said afterward, in reference to Reds starter Edinson Volquez: "You know going into this game, you can't give up many, and Duke did an amazing job."

In the meantime, Duke was staked to an early lead on RBI hits by Jose Bautista and Adam LaRoche, before Mientkiewicz's sacrifice fly in the third scored Ryan Doumit. It came after Doumit was nearly thrown out trying to scamper back to third after going too far towards home.

Duke also benefited from run-saving defensive plays by Wilson and Mientkiewicz early on. Wilson's leaping catch saved a run in the first, while Mientkiewicz made both a sliding catch and picked up his first career outfield assist as he relayed the throw into Wilson, who then completed a putout at the plate.

"I just try to get it to Jack as quick as possible, and let Jack do the rest," Mientkiewicz said.