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Reds take their swings against Dempster

Jun 8, 2011 - 2:40 PM (Sports Network) - Starter-turned-reliever-turned-starter Ryan Dempster meets the Cincinnati Reds for the 39th time in his 13-year major-league career today when the Chicago Cubs visit Great American Ball Park to close out a three-game series.

The British Columbia native, who appeared in 37 games for the Reds during a brief stint in 2002-03, has started 14 times and relieved 24 against Cincinnati - racking up a 5-7 record with five saves and a 4.10 earned run average across 112 innings.

It's the 499th major-league appearance and 274th start for Dempster, who began his career as a starter with Florida, became a reliever with the Reds and early on with Chicago, then re-joined the rotation full-time in 2008.

The most recent matchup in his career series with Cincinnati came May 8 at Wrigley Field, when the 34-year-old was beaten, 2-0, after allowing five hits and two runs with four strikeouts in seven innings.

Dempster is 3-1 in five starts since the loss, but things have not gone as well for the Cubs, whose losing streak reached eight games on Tuesday when Cincinnati's Edinson Volquez overcame a shaky start to pitch seven innings of one-run ball in an 8-2 win.

Volquez (4-2), who was recalled from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday after being sent down on May 23, allowed seven hits and two walks while striking out five.

Miguel Cairo added his second career grand slam for the Reds, who won for the fifth time in eight games.

Chicago's Doug Davis (0-5) took the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings.

Cincinnati is third in the National League's Central Division, five games behind first-place St. Louis. The Cubs are fifth in the six-team division, 12 1/2 games behind the Cardinals and just a game up on the last-place Houston Astros.

The Reds will send 34-year-old Bronson Arroyo to the mound for his 13th start of the season and second against the Cubs. Arroyo got a no-decision in a 3-2 Reds loss on May 7 at Wrigley Field, allowing just a run on seven hits in 7 1/3 innings.

That start came amid a winless run of six straight for the Key West, Fla. native, who broke through with a victory on June 3 when he allowed a run on five hits in six innings of a 2-1 defeat of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Arroyo is 9-7 lifetime against Chicago with a 2.72 ERA in 139 innings.

Cincinnati has won six of seven over Chicago this year and is 18-5 in this series since the start of the 2010 season. The Reds are 10-3 at home versus the Cubs in that span.