CINCINNATI - The Pittsburgh Pirates have made themselves right at home.

The first official guests at Great American Ball Park have filled the distinctive red seats with home runs and won the first two games that counted. All the home team can do is watch and wince and wait for them to leave.

It won't be soon enough.

Kevin Young and Jason Kendall hit two-run homers in the eighth inning Wednesday night as the Pirates rallied for a 7-4 victory that kept the Cincinnati Reds winless in their new ballpark.

The Reds have played four games in all - two exhibitions against Cleveland, two against the Pirates that counted - and lost them all, getting outscored 26-7 along the way.

Hospitality is commendable, but this is extreme.

''We just couldn't finish them off,'' manager Bob Boone said. ''We weren't pressing. We made some plays. It's just tough to beat those two-run homers.''

No one expected the Reds to have such a tough time in a ballpark tailored for their left-handed power hitters. Instead, the beneficial breezes and close-in walls have done remarkable things for one of the NL's most challenged offenses.

The Pirates' offense finished last in the NL the last two seasons, when they lost 100 and 89 games, respectively. They've hit six homers and scored 17 runs in their first two games at Great American.

''I like it,'' said Kendall, who has homered in each game. ''It's legit all around. It's a great ballpark.''

The Pirates like to think that it's only partly due to the field.

They added veterans and opened the season without a rookie on the roster for the first time since 1991. They've won their first two games for the first time in five years, and the players think it's not coincidence.

''It's been a long time since we've had a team that didn't have a rookie on it,'' said Young, who is sharing first base this season with Randall Simon. ''It's one of those situations where we feel comfortable with everybody who's going up to the plate.''

Simon hit a three-run homer in the first off Ryan Dempster, who settled down and gave his team a chance to rally. Austin Kearns hit a two-run homer and Ken Griffey Jr. had a solo shot - the Reds' first homers in the new ballpark - off Kip Wells to start the comeback.

Kearns gave the Reds their first lead of the series by scoring on Brandon Larson's single in the sixth, and the usually reliable bullpen took over.

Poof! The lead was gone.

Josias Manzanillo (0-1), who pitched for the Pirates the last three years, gave up Young's two-out, two-run homer. He then threw wildly to first on Kenny Lofton's soft roller and gave up another homer to Kendall.

Catcalls and boos accompanied his walk from the mound, and Manzanillo tipped his cap as he reached the dugout.

''I definitely didn't want to get booed in my first game out there, but we still have 160 to play,'' Manzanillo said. ''I have to find a way to make a positive out of it.''

Salomon Torres (1-0) got the win with one inning in relief of Kip Wells. Mike Williams pitched the ninth for the save, setting up yet another postgame high-five celebration by the visiting team.

''Right now, we're just swinging the bats and things are happening,'' Young said.

Notes: Griffey's homer was his 469th, leaving him 24th on the career list. Willie Stargell and Stan Musial are tied at 475. … After drawing capacity crowds for the two exhibitions and the season opener, the Reds sold 22,878 tickets for Wednesday's game. … A fan ran onto the field and evidently tried to circle the bases with the Pirates at bat in the top of the fifth. He was tackled by police before he reached second, and was led away in handcuffs.