Hamilton's two-run shot in seventh carries Reds
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| Regular Season Series |
| Series tied 9-9 (as of Wed 8/15) |
| Mon 4/2 |
@CIN 5, CHC 1 |
Recap |
| Wed 4/4 |
CHC 4, @CIN 1 |
Recap |
| Thu 4/5 |
@CIN 5, CHC 2 |
Recap |
| Fri 4/13 |
CIN 6, @CHC 5 |
Recap |
| Sat 4/14 |
@CHC 7, CIN 0 |
Recap |
| Sun 4/15 |
CIN 1, @CHC 0 |
Recap |
| Fri 7/27 |
@CIN 5, CHC 4 |
Recap |
| Sat 7/28 |
CHC 8, @CIN 1 |
Recap |
| Sun 7/29 |
CHC 6, @CIN 0 |
Recap |
| Tue 8/14 |
CIN 6, @CHC 5 |
Recap |
| >Wed 8/15 |
CIN 11, @CHC 9 |
Box Score |
| Thu 8/16 |
@CHC 12, CIN 4 |
Recap |
| Mon 9/17 |
@CHC 7, CIN 6 |
Recap |
| Tue 9/18 |
CIN 5, @CHC 2 |
Recap |
| Wed 9/19 |
@CHC 3, CIN 2 |
Recap |
| Fri 9/28 |
CHC 6, @CIN 0 |
Recap |
| Sat 9/29 |
CHC 4, @CIN 0 |
Recap |
| Sun 9/30 |
@CIN 8, CHC 4 |
Recap |
| · Complete Schedule: Cubs | Reds |
| Scoring Summary |
| CIN | CHC |
 | 2nd | R Jorgensen homered to left, A Dunn scored. | 2 | 0 |
 | 2nd | M Murton doubled to deep center, J Fox scored. | 2 | 1 |
 | 2nd | J Jones doubled to left, M Murton scored. | 2 | 2 |
 | 2nd | J Kendall doubled to left, J Jones scored. | 2 | 3 |
 | 3rd | K Griffey Jr singled to center, N Hopper scored. | 3 | 3 |
 | 3rd | J Conine homered to left center, K Griffey Jr and A Dunn scored. | 6 | 3 |
 | 3rd | J Jones walked, M DeRosa scored, J Fox to third, M Murton to second. | 6 | 4 |
 | 3rd | R Theriot singled to left, J Fox and M Murton scored, J Jones to second. | 6 | 6 |
 | 4th | A Ramirez homered to left. | 6 | 7 |
 | 5th | J Kendall homered to left, R Theriot scored. | 6 | 9 |
 | 6th | A Dunn homered to right. | 7 | 9 |
 | 6th | E Encarnacion doubled to left, J Conine scored. | 8 | 9 |
 | 6th | S Hatteberg hit sacrifice fly to center, E Encarnacion scored. | 9 | 9 |
 | 8th | J Hamilton homered to left center, R Jorgensen scored. | 11 | 9 |
| · View complete Play-By-Play |
| Game Information |
| Stadium | Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL |
| Attendance | 40,162 (97.6% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:17 |
| Weather | 74 degrees, overcast |
| Wind | 9 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Hunter Wendelstedt, First Base - Brian Knight, Second Base - Sam Holbrook, Third Base - Randy Marsh |
| A CLOSER LOOK |
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• Summary: Josh Hamilton hit a two-run, tiebreaking homer in the eighth and the Reds outslugged the struggling Cubs.
| |  | |
| Hamilton |
• Hero: Hamilton was pinch hitting when he hit his one-out shot off Michael Wuertz.
• Unsung hero: Ryan Jorgensen homered in his first major league at-bat in the second and scored on Hamilton's blast.
• Figure this: The Cubs have lost 10 of 13 but remain 1½ games behind the Brewers, who lost again to the Cardinals.
• Quotable: "It seems like we're in a pennant race. I'm not too damn sure." -- Cubs manager Lou Piniella, with a smile
-- ESPN.com news services
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Reds 11, Cubs 9
CHICAGO (AP) -- After blowing a three-run lead in yet another loss,
Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella was still able to make an attempt at humor.
Pinch-hitter
Josh Hamilton hit a two-run, tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning and the
Cincinnati Reds beat the slumping Cubs 11-9 on Wednesday night.
"It seems like we're in a pennant race," Piniella said. "I'm not too damn sure."
The Cubs lost for the 10th time in 13 games but they remained 1½ games behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central for the fifth consecutive game despite the club's recent struggles. The Brewers lost 8-3 to the
St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.
"We've been very fortunate. We haven't really played our best baseball over the last couple of weeks but we found a way to stay in it," Cubs outfielder
Matt Murton said.
Ryan Jorgensen,
Jeff Conine and
Adam Dunn homered for the Reds, who have won six of their last nine games.
Jason Kendall and
Aramis Ramirez homered for the Cubs.
The start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 31 minutes by rain.
With one out in the eighth, Jorgensen singled off Cubs reliever
Bob Howry (5-7). Hamilton followed with his second pinch-hit homer of the season and 15th overall.
"I just got in good hitting position and reacted to it. [It was] a fastball, up and away. It probably would have been ball three. I should have taken it but then again Dunn hit his ball tonight and it was up and away," Hamilton said.
Bill Bray (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory.
David Weathers pitched a scoreless ninth for his 24th save in 29 opportunities.
Ramirez broke a 6-all tie in the fourth with his 18th homer off reliever
Victor Santos.
After a double by
Ryan Theriot in the fifth, Kendall homered off Santos to make 9-6. It was Kendall's first homer with the Cubs since being traded from Oakland on July 16. He has three on the season.
Cubs reliever
Michael Wuertz came in with a three-run lead in the sixth. He was greeted by Dunn with a solo shot to right on the first pitch. Conine followed with an infield single and scored from first on a double by
Edwin Encarnacion.
Scott Hatteberg's sacrifice fly tied the game at 6.
In his first major league at-bat of the season, Jorgensen put the Reds ahead in the second with a two-run shot off Cubs starter
Ted Lilly. He was called up on Tuesday from Triple-A Louisville to replace catcher
David Ross, who is on the disabled list with a concussion.
Jorgensen won't be forgetting his memorable night.
"It's definitely a fairy tale. Something you see in a movie," he said. "I was hyped up."
Trailing 2-0 in the second inning, the Cubs got consecutive doubles from
Jake Fox, Murton and
Jacque Jones to tie the score. Two outs later, Kendall drove in Jones with another double to put the Cubs up 3-2.
The Reds came back to take the lead in the third inning on an RBI single by Ken Griffey Jr. and Conine's three-run homer to left. It was Conine's sixth of the season and put the Reds ahead 6-3.
Lilly came into the game having won eight of his last nine starts. He pitched five innings and gave up six runs and six hits. He struck out five and walked two.
"It's pretty tough, given the fact that our offense goes out there and is banging the ball all over the field and I didn't take advantage of it," Lilly said. "I felt like that was a game I needed to take control of."
In his third major league start,
Phil Dumatrait gave up four runs, five hits and four walks.
Game notes The Reds put SS
Alex Gonzalez on the bereavement list and replaced him with INF
Mark Bellhorn. Bellhorn went to Triple-A Louisville after being designated for assignment by the Reds after Sunday's game. ... Fox got his first major league hit with his double in the second inning.