Reds stay hot, defeat Cubs
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Derrick Robinson's squeeze bunt highlighted a four-run sixth inning that carried Cincinnati to a 5-2 win over the visiting Chicago Cubs and former Red Travis Wood.
Todd Frazier had two RBI for the Reds, who have won five straight and 13 of their last 16 games. Cincinnati starter Homer Bailey (3-3) gave up two runs on five hits, walked three and struck out eight over six innings.
Anthony Rizzo finished 3-for-3 with a walk and one RBI for Chicago, which has dropped a season-worst six consecutive games. Wood (4-3) surrendered five runs on seven hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings, snapping his streak of quality starts to begin the season at nine.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Reds, down 2-1 entering the sixth, saw their first two batters reach base as Joey Votto walked and Brandon Phillips singled. Frazier tied things up with a one-out base hit to center field and Phillips scored the go-ahead run on Robinson's perfectly executed squeeze play.
"I kind of was expecting it because we had talked about it in the past and that was a perfect situation," Robinson said about the squeeze bunt.
Ryan Hanigan followed with an RBI double and scored on a single by pinch- hitter Cesar Izturis.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You try to get (Wood) through that inning. One more out and just couldn't do it. Another pretty good outing up until (that inning)," said Chicago manager Dale Sveum.
The Cubs stranded two men in the eighth against Jonathan Broxton and were retired 1-2-3 in the ninth by Aroldis Chapman, who earned his 12th save of the season.
Chicago got on the board in the third with a pair of two-out runs. Rizzo ended an 0-for-22 slump with a double that plated David DeJesus, who had walked, and Alfonso Soriano brought Rizzo home with a single.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Reds halved their deficit on Frazier's sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Game Notes
Wood became the first Cubs starter to open a season with nine straight quality outings since Mordecai Brown had 11 in 1908 ... Votto went 0-for-3 to halt his hitting streak at 12 games, the same number Phillips has now hit safely in ... The Reds improved to 18-6 at Great American Ball Park this year.