• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Cabrera, Reds rally past Cubs

Sep 7, 2008 - 9:20 PM By Douglas Tifft PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Jolbert Cabrera hit a walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning as the Cincinnati Reds stunned the Chicago Cubs, 4-3, on Sunday.

Trailing, 3-1, entering the ninth, the Reds loaded the bases with one out off Cubs closer Kerry Wood (4-4) with a single and a pair of walks.

Pinch hitter Chris Dickerson then reached as a potential game-ending double play ball bounced off Chicago shortstop Ronny Cedeno's glove, allowing two runs to score.

Reds manager Dusty Baker was pleased that his team was finally on the receiving end of a good break in the ninth inning.

"I was thinking that it has got to happen sometime, because we have been so close about 20 times in the late innings with the tying run or winning run on base but could never get that hit," Baker said. "Ordinarily, Ronny Cedeno, a very good shortstop, catches that ball. But at the last minute that ball shot up, so it was a tough ball."

The next batter up was Cabrera, who lined a ball down the left field line to plate pinch runner Wilkin Castillo and give the Reds the win.

"I'm excited because we battled and battled and finally got something going in the ninth," Cabrera said. "Sometimes you have to get lucky and we finally did."

Despite the loss, Chicago (86-57), which has lost seven of its past eight, still leads the National League Central Division by four games over the Milwaukee Brewers (82-61).

Cedeno's costly error came two innings after he had given the Cubs the lead.

With the score tied at 1-1, Chicago had runners on first and second when Cedeno, who took over after starting shortstop Ryan Theriot left the game in the sixth inning due to illness, blooped a double over first baseman Joey Votto's head to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead.

Mike Fontenot followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the advantage to 3-1.

The ninth-inning collapse wasted a solid outing from lefthander Sean Marshall, who was making a spot start while Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano nurses a sore right shoulder.

Marshall allowed one run - Corey Patterson's sacrifice fly in the second - and three hits while striking out three in six innings.

"I felt like I could improve on a couple of things, like getting ahead in the count earlier, but overall I felt good out there," Marshall said. "It is disappointing to lose a game like that, but we will be all right. We will come back on Tuesday and bounce right back."

Cincinnati starter Aaron Harang allowed three runs and six hits over seven innings and avoided his 16th loss of the season with the team's late comeback.

"I made some good pitches in key situations, doing what I want to do by going inside and locating all of my pitches," Harang said. "It seems like it has not been going my way for a while, with not getting many runs (of support). But the guys came through, and they battled there late in the game. We are going to have to play like that all of the time."

Francisco Cordero (5-4) worked a scoreless ninth inning to earn the win.