• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Zambrano helps Cubs edge Reds

Aug 21, 2008 - 10:58 PM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Carlos Zambrano maintained his dominance of the Cincinnati Reds.

Zambrano tossed seven sterling innings and belted a home run as the Chicago Cubs recorded a 3-2 victory over the Reds on Thursday in the rubber match of a three-game set.

"We won another series and that is the main thing," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "We played some good defense and got just enough hits; Zambrano really helped himself with the home run."

Zambrano (13-5) surrendered one run and six hits while striking out eight to improve to 4-0 against the Reds this season. He helped his own cause with the third-inning homer - his fourth of the season and 16th career - to increase Chicago's lead to 3-0.

"I think (Josh Fogg) left a cutter over the plate, for me it's just see ball hit ball," Zambrano said. "The pitch was in the strike zone and fortunately I hit it out of the ballpark."

The burly righthander's lone blemish was a sixth-inning solo homer by rookie Jay Bruce, which put Cincinnati on the board.

Alfonso Soriano scored off Derrek Lee's grounder in the first to open the scoring. Soriano worked a leadoff walk and Ryan Theriot singled before Reds starter Josh Fogg (2-6) induced Lee into a double play.

"I thought Josh threw the ball well, but when you go up against Zambrano and you get a chance to score runs you have to take advantage of it," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "I wanted to leave Josh in longer than four innings even though they scored every inning. We just wanted to try and pick up a run right there."

The following frame, Mark DeRosa belted a solo homer - his fifth of the campaign against Cincinnati - to give the Cubs a 2-0 bulge.

"The mark of any good team is pitching and our numbers one through five are as good as it gets," DeRosa said. "Our bullpen is as good as any in the league and they cover up a lot of flaws at times."

After Zambrano was lifted, reliever Carlos Marmol served up a solo homer in the eighth to Joey Votto to halve the Reds' deficit. It was the first run Marmol allowed since July 12.

"I think I got two seeing-eye base hits so I never felt locked in on Zambrano," Votto said. "I think part of Zambrano's game plan is to be a little bit wild, and today on occasion he was effective out of the zone."

Kerry Wood tossed a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to notch his 26th save of the season.