|
 "I walked three people and I wasn't too happy about it. I'm still
trying to catch that rhythm," said Bailey, who scattered three hits
over six shutout innings. "But every time I take the mound, the bats
show up, and I'm just glad I was finally able to help them out."
Bailey (1-1) struck out eight and walked three in his longest outing
of the season.
The Reds took two-of-three games to win the first of six 2014 series
with the Cubs and have now won 15 of 20 games over Chicago.
The Cubs have lost their last 11 series dating to September 2013.
Shortstop Zach Cozart went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs
scored, catcher Devin Mesoraco was 3-for-4 with two runs scored
while three other Reds contributed a pair of hits each in a 15-hit
attack.
"It was really nice to have Cozart have such a breakout game," said
Reds manager Bryan Price. "He almost had another go out that was
caught at the wall in left-center. And Devin, every since he's been
activated, has been great offensively. He and Homer got on the same
page, called a great game.
"(His) best days of the season are yet to come."
Cubs right hander Carlos Villanueva (1-4) worked 4 2/3 innings and
suffered his second straight loss.
"It might seem like my stuff flattened out, but I didn't really feel
tired," Villanueva said. "Obviously I wasn't as crisp. I thought I
had good stuff. I was one pitch away those two innings with two out.
... (But) they had runners in scoring position and drove them in."
Three consecutive two-out hits in the fourth gave the Reds a 3-0
lead.
Mesoraco opened the scoring when he lined an RBI double into the
left-field corner to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. Mesoraco came home on
Cozart's two-base hit to center.
Cozart then scored on Bailey's hit between third and short.
The Reds added two more runs in the fifth. Third baseman Todd
Frazier's two-out double drove home right fielder Jay Bruce for a
4-0 lead.
Left fielder Ryan Ludwick's hit to left scored Frazier for a 5-0
advantage and marked the end of Villanueva's day.
Villanueva allowed five earned runs on nine hits. He struck out
seven and walked one.
"We tried to get him through the five," Cubs manager Rick Renteria
said. "You could see he was tiring a little bit. He was giving us
what he had and we were hoping to get him through that but we had to
give him a little help."
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Bruce clubbed his third home run of the season in the seventh — a
solo shot to center off Cubs right-handed reliever Jose Veras — for
a 6-0 lead. Cozart followed with a two-out homer to left that drove
home Mesoraco to make the score 8-0.
"They did it (two-out scoring) throughout the lineup," Renteria
said. "Even Bailey had an RBI knock."
The Cubs spoiled the shutout in the seventh with two runs off
left-handed reliever Manny Parra, who gave up back-to-back RBI
singles to left fielder Ryan Sweeney and right fielder Nate
Schierholtz.
Parra departed after he walked Mike Olt to load the bases with one
out. Right-hander Sam LeCure entered and got catcher Welington
Castillo to ground into an inning-ending double play.
NOTES: Cincinnati opens a four-game series Monday at Pittsburgh
where the Reds have nine shutouts since 2009, the most by any team
at any ballpark. ... The Reds' 4-1 victory on Friday gave them an
all-time .500 record (1,034-1034) for the first time since 1909 when
the team was 89-89. ... Bailey now has 10 straight wins against the
Cubs dating to May 16, 2011. ... Frazier leads the Reds with four
home runs and has started all 18 games. He was 0-for-7 on the road
trip coming into Sunday and went 2-for-5 in the finale. ... The Reds
send RHP Mike Leake (2-1, 2.95 ERA) against Pirates LHP Francisco
Liriano (0-3, 3.96) on Monday. ... The Cubs remain at home, kicking
off a four-game series with the Diamondbacks on Monday night. ...1B
Anthony Rizzo is the Cubs top hitter at home, batting .424
(13-for-28) and is tied for fourth in the National League in home
average. ... The Cubs are in the third day of a stretch of 30 games
in 31 days. Prior to the current run, the Cubs had five days off in
the first three weeks of the season. ... The Cubs send LHP Travis
Wood (0-2, 3.00 ERA) against RHP Bronson Arroyo (1-1, 9.95 ERA) to
open a four-game Wrigley Field set on Monday against Arizona.
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