Game One Hundred Forty-One - Cubs 5 Reds 2
WP - Ted Lilly (12-8) LP - Homer Bailey (5-5) Save - None
Lou Piniella's crew beat the Cincinnati Reds for the tenth time this season Sunday afternoon behind more shutout ball from Ted Lilly. Lilly allowed six base hits, four for extra bases but did not allow the Reds to score a single run during his six innings of work. Lilly walked a pair and struck out seven and won his team-leading 12th game of the year.
Kevin Gregg and Esmailin Caridad each threw a scoreless inning of relief. John Grabow allowed the Reds to break-up the shutout in the ninth. With two on and two out, Drew Stubbs singled up the middle and drove in the Reds only two runs of the game.
Koyie Hill (1-for-3 with a walk, a run and a RBI) and Andres Blanco (3-for-4 with two RBI) drove in the first three runs of the game ... both hits came in the fourth after the Cubs loaded the bases with no outs. Koyie Hill singled to right on a 0-2 pitch that plated Derrek Lee with the game's first run. Andres Blanco, filling in for Ryan Theriot at short, singled to right center another 0-2 pitch from Homer Bailey. Both Aramis Ramirez and Micah Hoffpauir scored and gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead.
Derrek Lee (3-for-4 with a home run, a RBI and two runs scored) hit his team-leading 32nd homer of the year in the seventh that gave the Cubs a much-needed insurance run. Bobby Scales gave the Cubs a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the eighth with a RBI fielder's choice that plated Koyie Hill.
Sunday's win gave the Cubs a 10-5 record against Cincinnati for the season and improved the Cubs record to five games over .500 for the year ...
Ted Lilly ran his record to 8-1 on the year at Wrigley with another excellent performance ... his second career win against the Reds. Lilly struggled at times, threw a lot of pitches in six innings but more than earned his 12th win of the year. Lilly struck out the side in the second and one of the two walks he issued was intentional. The Reds had their chances against Lilly with the four doubles but Lilly made the big pitch when he needed it.
Ted Lilly and Homer Bailey kept both teams off the board until the fourth inning.
Derrek Lee led off the fourth with a single to center. Aramis Ramirez followed with a single to right, Lee advanced to third and Micah Hoffpauir walked to load the bases ... with no outs. Jeff Baker struck out and Koyie Hill quickly fell behind Homer Bailey.
On a 0-2 pitch, Hill singled to right. Derrek Lee scored ... 1-0 Cubs.
Andres Blanco stepped in and fell behind Bailey 0-2. Blanco then blooped a single into right that plated Aramis Ramirez and Micah Hoffpauir. Koyie Hill advanced to third and Blanco took second on the throw. With runners on second and third with one out, Bailey struck out Ted Lilly and Kosuke Fukudome to end the inning.
Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez reached on back-to-back one out singles in the fifth. Micah Hoffpauir struck out and Jeff Baker grounded out to short to end the inning.
The Cubs had chances to tack on the sixth. After a one-out single by Andres Blanco and a pinch-hit double by Mike Fontenot, Kosuke Fukudome fouled out to Ryan Hanigan and Milton Bradley struck out swinging to end the inning.
Derrek Lee led off the seventh with his 32nd homer of the season. The ball landed into the basket in left center and gave the Cubs a 4-0 lead.
Koyie Hill started the eighth with a walk. Andres Blanco singled to right, his third hit of the game, and Hill advanced to third. Bobby Scales pinch-hit for Kevin Gregg and grounded out to second. Blanco was forced at second but Hill scored on Bobby Scales' eleventh RBI of the year ... 5-0 Cubs.
The Cubs had a chance to complete the shutout but John Grabow could not retire Drew Stubbs with two outs in the ninth. Darnell McDonald doubled to center with one out. Adam Rosales followed with a double to left but McDonald held at third. Corky Miller flied out to center for the second out.
Drew Stubbs ripped Grabow's first pitch into center and plated McDonald and Rosales with the Reds' first two runs. John Grabow stuck out Paul Janish looking for the 27th out.
21 ...
Ryan Dempster is scheduled to face Jeff Suppan in the first of four against the Brewers on Monday night.
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