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Cueto, Reds shut out Cubs

May 8, 2011 - 11:18 PM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Drew Stubbs went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and Johnny Cueto was solid on the mound in his 2011 debut, as the Cincinnati Reds handled the Chicago Cubs, 2-0, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.

Ramon Hernandez knocked in the other run for the Reds, who have won four of five.

Joey Votto went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts to see his streak come to an end. The first baseman had reached base safely in all 33 games this season. He finished one game shy of tying the Reds' modern record to begin a season. Dave Collins reached base in 34 consecutive games to start 1981.

Cueto (1-0) tossed six-plus scoreless innings to pick up the win. The Dominican-born right-hander also stuck out four and walked one. Cueto, who started the year on the DL with irritation in his right biceps/triceps, won a career-best 12 games in 2010.

"It might have been one of the best I've ever seen him throw, to be honest with you," Votto said of Cueto. "He looked fantastic. He threw his breaking ball really well. It seemed like they were off balance the entire game. I'm really glad he came back after missing some time and threw so well today."

Ryan Dempster (1-4) went seven full frames in the start for the Cubs, allowing two runs on five hits to suffer the loss.

The Reds got on the board in the second inning. Jay Bruce led off with a single, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Hernandez's base hit to left.

Chicago failed to score with the bases loaded in the third. Dempster helped his own cause with a one-out single. Kosuke Fukudome then hit a grounder to shortstop Edgar Renteria, whose throw to second was high. Runners were on first and second after Starlin Castro grounded into a fielder's choice. Marlon Byrd's infield single loaded the bases, but Aramis Ramirez flied out.

Stubbs' blast to left in the fifth made it a 2-0 game.

The Cubs left the bases loaded again in the seventh. Cueto was pulled after Alfonso Soriano led off with a single. Bill Bray struck out Carlos Pena before being replaced by Sam LeCure. Geovany Soto flied out for the second out, but the next two batters reached to load the bases. Castro grounded into a fielder's choice to end the threat.

Nick Masset turned in a scoreless eighth and Francisco Cordero tossed a perfect ninth for his sixth save of the year.

"I was able to keep the ball down, for the most part, today and gave us a chance to win," Dempster said. "We keep playing as hard as we're playing and guys keep working as hard as we're working and the results will turn around."

Game Notes

Cincinnati won 12 of 16 games with Chicago in 2010, including a 6-1 ledger at Wrigley...The Cubs went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine.