Cubs 5, Reds 2

[April 27, 2015]  CINCINNATI -- Catcher Miguel Montero homered, and Jake Arrieta pitched six solid innings, lifting the Chicago Cubs to their best start since 2008 with a 5-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

Montero went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs for Chicago (10-7) which swept the abbreviated two-game series. Saturday's game was postponed due to rain.

Arrieta (3-1) survived a rough patch in the middle innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits in six innings.

Third baseman Todd Frazier hit his fifth homer for Cincinnati (8-10).

A scoreless streak for Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani (2-1) abruptly ended at 16 1/3 innings when Montero clubbed his third home run on the first pitch to put Chicago ahead 1-0 in the second.

Montero's RBI single made the score 2-0 in the third.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the third, Russell, who'd struck out in five of his previous six at-bats, drove a 1-2 pitch from DeSclafani to the right-center wall, driving in three runs to give the Cubs a 5-0 lead.

Just one of those runs was credited to DeSclafani since a fielding error by Frazier led to the rally. DeSclafani allowed five runs, one earned, and five hits.

Arrieta retired the first 11 batters he faced before Frazier launched his fifth home run into the left field stands with two outs in the fourth.

The fourth was a rough frame for Arrieta who threw 30 pitches, but the only blemish was Frazier's homer.

Things unraveled further for Arrieta in the fifth when he issued three walks. But again he minimized the damage, allowing just one run.

Through five innings Sunday, Cincinnati extended its skid to 0-for-21 with runners in scoring position.

Left-hander Tony Cingrani pitched two scoreless innings to keep the Reds within striking range.

But Chicago's Hector Rondon pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his fourth save.

NOTES: Cubs C Miguel Montero hit his 100th career homer in the second. ... The Cubs and Reds adjusted their starting rotations following Saturday's rainout. Reds RHP Mike Leake will start Wednesday against Milwaukee and RHP Homer Bailey will start Thursday in Atlanta. ... For the Cubs, LHP Travis Wood's start was pushed back to Tue. vs. Pittsburgh and RHP Jason Hammel now is starting Monday against the Pirates. ... Saturday's postponement was the 10th in Great American Ball Park's 13-year history, third involving the Cubs. ... Reds LHP Sean Marshall, who's made just 31 appearances the past three seasons due to shoulder issues, is making little progress in his rehab and hasn't thrown in a few days, according to manager Bryan Price. ... Reds C Devin Mesoraco, who's dealing with hip discomfort, was out of the starting lineup for the 14th straight game. He walked as a pinch hitter in the fifth.

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