Homers lift Cubs over Reds

      CINCINNATI — Chants of "MVP! MVP!" beamed through Great American Ball Park Saturday night in Cincinnati, as Joey Votto circled the bases after tying the game in the bottom of the fourth with his 32nd home run of the season.

      The home run, which traveled 408 feet, was a bomb over the right-centerfield wall by the Sports Illustrated cover boy, but the long ball didn't provide enough for the Cincinnati Reds, falling to the Chicago Cubs, 3-2. 

      Cincinnati almost rallied the bottom of the sixth with Scott Rolen, who doubled to start the inning, rounding the bases on a single to right field by Ryan Hanigan, bringing the Reds within one run of tying the score. Hanigan was the lone Reds player to have multiple hits Saturday, going 2-for-4 with one RBI.

      But the tie and go-ahead run never happened.

      The resemblance of any kind of comeback was washed away by the Cubs, who relied on home runs to dampen the Reds' opportunity to extend their NL Central lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals lost to the Washington Nationals, 14-5.

      Cincinnati holds a four-game lead over the second place Cardinals.

      The Reds and Cubs were deadlocked at one run apiece until Chicago's Kosuke Fukudome hit a two-run, 360 bloop home run off of Reds starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo into the Chicago bullpen to put the Cubs ahead 3-1 in the fifth inning. Fukudome and Tyler Colvin crossed home plate with a mixed reaction from a sellout crowd of 41,292 fans in attendance at GABP. Colvin reached the bases on a single.

      Arroyo gave up the first run of the game in the top of the second, on a 2-2 pitch, to Xavier Nady when his swing sent the ball 387 feet over the left field wall.

      Jay Bruce bailed out Arroyo two batters later when he leaped and grabbed a sure home run ball hit by Fukudome to end the Chicago second. One day after hitting three home runs against Cubs pitching, Bruce went 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.

      Arroyo played a strong game, retiring the first two Cubs batters in the first on five pitches, including a three-pitch called third strike against Starlin Castro. He ended the inning with a eight-pitch pop out to second by Marlon Byrd to retire the first three batters the Cubs sent to the plate.

      Arroyo (14-8) was charged with the loss, his second in his last six starts. He went seven innings, allowing three runs (all earned) on five hits and no walks, while striking out five.

      The Reds had a lost opportunity in the third inning.

      In the bottom of the third, Fukudome laid out for a ball in right field on a swing of the bat by Bruce, but his catch attempt was ruled a single by the umpire as the ball was trapped by his glove, allowing the Reds their second base runner of the game. But the inning ended in the next on a line out to third by Chris Valaika.

      Arroyo responded in the top of the fourth by striking out the side, and the heart of the Cubs' lineup (Byrd, Aramis Ramirez, and Nady) on 11 pitches.

      The Reds (74-55) were stopped in their tracks by Cubs starting pitcher Randy Wells. Wells (6-12) entered the game with an ERA of 4.56 and lowered it to 4.50.

      Wells, who was the winning pitcher, went six innings, allowing two runs (both earned) on six hits and two walks. He struck out four.

      The Reds struggled at the plate with seven hits but had just three in the first five innings. The Cubs had four hits in the same five innings.

      Cincinnati's hitting woes were evident in the eighth and ninth innings, going six up, six down by pitchers Andrew Cashner in the eighth and Carlos Marmol in the ninth. Marmol earned his 24th save of the season, striking out one.

      The Reds play the Cubs for the series win Sunday at GABP with a pitching matchup of Travis Wood (4-2, 3.38) vs. Casey Coleman (1-1, 5.68).

      NOTES: Before the game, Arroyo had a 5-game winning streak against the Cubs (six games, 1.88 ERA in 38.1 IP.) In that winning streak, he allowed eight runs. In his previous five starts vs. the Cubs, he was 4-0 with an 0.81 ERA … Before Saturday, Arroyo was 4-1 in his five previous starts, going under seven innings just once (the lone loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 11 at GABP) … Votto hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the first for the Reds … Nady's home run was his fifth of the season … Arroyo has given up a home run in each of his last four starts … Alfonso Soriano pinch hit in the 8th inning, striking out with a 2-3 put out … Votto has 92 RBIs this season … Wells threw 100 pitches; Arroyo tossed 92 (64 for strikes). 

CHI     010 002 000 — 3 6 1

CIN     000 101 000 — 2 7 0 

WP --    R. Hill      (CHI): 6 IP, 6H, 2R, 2ER, 4SO (100 pitches, 61 strikes)

LP --     B. Arroyo (CIN): 7IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, 0BB, 5SO, (92 pitches, 64 strikes) 

J. Russell (7th): 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 3SO

A. Cashner (8th) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0SO

C. Marmol (9th) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1SO 

N. Massett (8th/9th) 2IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 3SO