Cubs 9, Reds 1
CINCINNATI -- Catcher Welington Castillo hit two homers and third baseman Donnie Murphy added a two-run shot to back a strong start by right-hander Edwin Jackson, lifting the Chicago Cubs to a 9-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park.
Castillo went 3-for-5 with three RBIs.
Jackson (8-15) hit his second career home run in the seventh inning off Curtis Partch. Most notably, Jackson, who is competing to keep his spot in the starting rotation, allowed one earned run and nine hits in seven innings with no walks and four strikeouts.
Cincinnati (82-64) has dropped the first two of three games to the last-place Cubs, who notched their 62nd victory to surpass last season's total.
Things couldn't have gone much worse for the contending Reds.
Left-handed starter Tony Cingrani, who missed two starts earlier this season while on the disabled list with a lower back strain, left the game in the second inning with back spasms.
Cingrani (7-4) has been filling Johnny Cueto's spot in the rotation while the ace rehabs a strained lat muscle. Cingrani allowed two runs and three hits in 1 2/3 innings for his fourth loss.
Cincinnati scored its only run off Jackson in the seventh on back-to-back doubles by Zack Cozart and Corky Miller. Cozart's double extended his career-high hitting streak to 15 games.
Castillo crushed a 3-2 pitch from Cingrani an estimated 470 feet into the left-field bleachers, putting the Cubs ahead 2-0. It was his fifth home run this season.
One batter later, Cingrani left the game after throwing 37 pitches shortly after meeting with the training staff on the mound. Right-hander Greg Reynolds, who has made three starts this season, replaced Cingrani.
Murphy hit a two-run homer on the first pitch from Reynolds in the third, making the score 4-0. It was his 10th homer this season.
Reynolds allowed four runs (three earned) in 1 2/3 innings as the Cubs built a 6-0 lead through four.
Jackson, meanwhile, scattered five hits through four scoreless innings.
NOTES: Cueto will throw up to 45 pitches a simulated game on Wednesday morning. Cueto, on the disabled list since June 29 with a strained right lat muscle, remains hopeful of a late-season comeback, possibly in a relief role. ... Reds LHP Sean Marshall, on the DL since May 24 with left shoulder tendinitis, threw 23 pitches off the mound to batters. "The shoulder feels strong," Marshall said. "I felt like I executed my pitches. I rolled a couple of curveballs, but that crispness will come back." ... The Cubs are using a six-man rotation for two turns before moving back to a regular five-man rotation. "Nothing changes really," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "Everybody will get a little bit of extra rest. (Travis) Wood and Samardzija will pitch against the Cardinals. It actually works out pretty well."
