ATLANTA — Ken Griffey Jr. wasn't overly excited about catching Mickey Mantle — or especially concerned about his latest injury.

Jason LaRue's pinch-hit grand slam capped a five-run 12th inning to help the Cincinnati Reds end a five-game losing streak with an 8-3 victory yesterday over the Atlanta Braves.

Griffey hit his 536th homer in the first, tying Mantle for 12th on the career list. His 35th of the season came off Horacio Ramirez on a 1-0 pitch.

"I was just trying to get a pitch I could hit. It hit a little off the end of the bat and just got out," Griffey said.

Austin Kearns hit a run-scoring double in the 12th off Dan Kolb (3-7) to give Cincinnati a 4-3 lead.

Edwin Encarnacion had a one-out single before Griffey singled him to third. Kearns followed with his double to right, scoring Encarnacion. Griffey, however, hobbled into third and left the game with a sprained right foot. He is day to day.

"It's just a little sore. We'll see how it feels tomorrow and go from there," said Griffey, who said he would not play today against Milwaukee. "They said I was going to get a day off in the next couple of days anyway, so I guess tomorrow is it."

Griffey, who will turn 36 in November, missed 331 games from 2001 to 2004 with a variety of injuries, hitting only 63 homers during those four seasons. He hit his first 398 home runs while a Mariner from 1989 to 1999.

"He's one of the greatest players ever to play the game," Reds manager Jerry Narron said. "When you talk about center fielders like Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays and Mantle, he's up there with them."

Griffey said he met Mantle once, at Yankee Stadium when his father was a Yankee.

"I was 12 or 13," said Griffey, who until his string of injuries was considered one of the players most likely to challenge Hank Aaron's record of 755 homers.

"I don't worry about it. I just go out there and try to do the best I can," Griffey said. "Whatever people think, that's fine."