Reds 6, Cubs 2
CHICAGO -- Brandon Phillips hit a grand slam and collected six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds shrugged off foggy conditions to beat the Chicago Cubs 6-2 on Monday night.
Phillips' slam -- his 10th homer of the season -- came in the third inning as the Reds jumped on Cubs' left-hander Scott Feldman for five runs over the first three frames.
The victory was a club-record 10th straight at Wrigley Field for the Reds, and their seventh in eight games against the Cubs in 2013.
Visibility ranged from poor to almost non-existent early in the opening game of the four-game series as fog rolled in from nearby Lake Michigan. Conditions cleared as the game progressed.
Reds right-hander Homer Bailey (4-4) worked eight innings for the win. He scattered four hits, walked two and struck out eight. Bailey threw 120 pitches -- 90 for strikes -- in his first victory since beating the Cubs 5-2 in a six-inning outing on May 25.
Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro doubled in one run in the bottom of the ninth off reliever Alfredo Simon.
Feldman (5-5) settled down after the third inning and worked through the sixth inning. He gave up five earned runs on seven hits and struck out two.
The Cubs ended the Reds' shutout bid in the sixth. Luis Valbuena doubled to lead off and scored on Nate Schierholtz's infield single and throwing error by Phillips.
Phillips went 2-for-4, including an eighth-inning fielder's choice that scored Cozart for a 6-1 lead. Cozart and Xavier Paul also had a pair of hits as the Reds won for the second time in three games.
Schierholtz went 2-for-4 for the Cubs, losers of six of their last eight.
Fog in the first inning masked the scoreboard and gave outfielders a ghostly appearance. On the South Side of Chicago, the White Sox game against the Blue Jays was delayed due to fog.
Despite poor visibility at Wrigley Field, the Reds grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first. Phillips' two-out single to center drove home Cozart, who reached base after hitting into a fielder's choice.
Feldman gave up three straight singles to load the bases with one out in the third, and Phillips launched the 1-1 pitch to left for a homer, giving Cincinnati a 5-0 lead.
Visibility improved significantly by the fourth inning, but nearby apartment buildings still appeared hazy and lakefront high-rises could not be seen.
NOTES: Reds manager Dusty Baker caught a Chicago Blackhawks hockey game on his last visit to Chicago in May and said he hopes to secure tickets to Wednesday's Stanley Cup opener between the host Hawks and the Boston Bruins at the United Center. ... Baker tied Ralph Houk for 16th place on the list of all-time wins by managers with 1,619. ... Cubs LF Alfonso Soriano needs two home runs to tie Albert Belle for 63rd all-time at 381. ... Chicago 1B Anthony Rizzo walked in the first inning, extending his streak of reaching base safely to 14 games, a single-season career high. ... The Reds send LHP Tony Cingrani (2-0, 3.27 ERA) to the mound Tuesday against Cubs RHP Matt Garza (1-0, 4.03 ERA).
