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Cubs keep rolling in win over Reds

Aug 6, 2011 - 1:12 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Ryan Dempster went six strong innings and Tony Campana recorded his first career home run in unorthodox fashion, as the Chicago Cubs downed the Cincinnati Reds, 4-3, in the opener of a three-game series.

Dempster (9-8) allowed just two runs despite issuing six walks. He gave up four hits while fanning five.

Campana slapped a two-run inside the park homer, while Tyler Colvin added a solo shot. Starlin Castro went 3-for-4 and scored a pair and Carlos Pena drove in a run for the Cubs, who ran their season-high win streak to six games.

Carlos Marmol allowed two baserunners to reach in the ninth but settled to record his 24th save of the season.

Despite helping himself with an RBI single, Mike Leake (9-7) was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs on six hits and three walks.

Ramon Hernandez belted a home run for the Reds, losers of three of their last four.

In all, the Reds stranded 12 runners. And their woes began early.

They sandwiched a pair of walks around a Brandon Phillips single to load the bases with two down in the first, but Dempster struck out Hernandez to quell the threat.

A half-inning later, with Castro aboard, Campana slapped a 2-0 sinker down the third base line and left fielder Yonder Alonso awkwardly ran into the wall along the foul line as the ball rolled into the corner. Castro scored and Campana followed with his first career home run.

"I hit the ball and the first thing I thought was, 'The first baseman is gonna catch it,'" said Campana. "Then it got by him and I said, 'That's a double.' Then I saw the guy hit the wall and I'm like, 'I've got a chance to get all the way around.' I almost caught Starlin and I was hoping I wasn't gonna catch him."

A traditional round-tripper -- off the bat of Colvin -- gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead in the second.

The Reds put something together with two down in the fourth. Alonso and Todd Frazier reached with a single and a walk, respectively, before Leake helped himself with a bloop single to center, which was nearly snared by the diving Campana. Alonso scored on the play and Frazier crossed the plate one batter later on Dempster's wild pitch.

In the sixth, Cincinnati again placed runners on first and second with two outs, but this time Drew Stubbs went down on strikes.

With one aboard in the top of the seventh, Phillips belted a towering shot to straightaway center, but Campana made the grab as his outstretched body disappeared into the ivy.

The Cubs also had opportunities in the sixth and seventh. They came up empty in the former, but managed to push one across on a Pena sec fly in the latter, making it a 4-2 game.

Kerry Wood began the eighth and surrendered a leadoff homer to Hernandez. Alonso followed with a double to place the tying run in scoring position, but Wood settled, striking out Frazier, pinch-hitter Fred Lewis and Stubbs in succession.

Marmol hit Paul Janish to begin the ninth and walked Jay Bruce with two outs, but induced Hernandez into a game-ending groundout.

"That's the story of our season so far," said Phillips. "I just feel like we haven't been coming through. I don't know if our hunger is not there or something, but we've got to come through."

Game Notes

Campana is the first Cubs player to record his first career home run as an inside the park homer since Carmen Mauro accomplished the feat on Oct. 3, 1948...Previously, the Cubs hadn't won six straight games since September 13-19, 2009...The Cubs have collected 12 home runs in their last four contests...Castro's eighth-inning single snapped Aroldis Chapman's streak of 10 1/3 consecutive no-hit innings in relief...Castro recorded his 19th three-hit game of the season...The Reds have the worst record in the league this season in one-run games, at 16-26.