THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO — The Cincinnati Reds used a lot of little hits to achieve a very big milestone.
Cincinnati rapped out 12 hits — nine singles — and cruised to a 9-4 win over the Chicago Cubs on Friday for the 10,000th win in franchise history.
"When you look at 30 different teams and being one of six, it’s a pretty cool thing," said outfielder Drew Stubbs. "To be a part of it is pretty special."
Harsh winds and chilly temperatures didn’t slow Cincinnati’s offence. Stubbs drove in three runs for the Reds, who joined the Cubs, Giants, Dodgers, Braves and Cardinals as the only teams to reach the 10,000 win plateau.
The Cubs dropped their sixth straight and fell to 3-11 on the year.
Winds were blowing in, gusting up to 27 mph, and the game-time temperature was 35 degrees with the wind chill.
Chris Volstad (0-2) laboured through a four-run, 41-pitch first inning. He gave up run-scoring singles to Joey Votto and Chris Heisey, and an RBI-groundout to Willie Harris as the Reds batted around for the first time this season.
"It breeds confidence the more hits you get," said Reds manager Dusty Baker. "So it was good for us to get those hits."
Starlin Castro and Marlon Byrd didn’t help Volstad by committing errors in the inning, but only one of the runs was unearned.
Fielding woes were contagious as Heisey was unable to haul in Castro’s fly ball in the third inning, which led to two unearned runs. The teams combined to make five errors.
The Reds tacked on a pair of runs in the fourth on Stubbs’ double into the right-field corner. He finished with three hits and two stolen bases.
"I stayed on every pitch," said Stubbs. "Leading up to that I had been kind of pulling off of some sliders, especially, but I got a lot of them today and was able to drive one to right field."
Homer Bailey (1-2) pitched seven solid innings for his first victory of the year. He allowed four runs, but only one was earned. Bailey struck out two and walked none. He also drove in a run with a groundout in the sixth.
"Especially with the wind, it’s here it is, hit it as hard as you can," said Bailey. "It’s probably not going to go anywhere."
The Cubs sent several balls into the teeth of the wind, blowing in from left field, including Castro’s third- inning fly ball and a ninth-inning blast off the bat of Geovany Soto. But none went beyond the warning track.
"This park plays like polar opposites, as different as any park I’ve ever seen," said Stubbs. "When the wind’s blowing out, it’s hard to keep the ball in the yard. When the win’s blowing in, you can give it all you got."
" You try to stay more on top of the ball, hit more line drives because anything in the air is going to get held up."
Volstad gave up six runs, five earned, on seven hits over five innings. He was lifted for pinch-hitter Blake DeWitt in the fifth. DeWitt doubled and came around to score on Darwin Barney’s groundout to cut the Reds’ lead to 6-3.
"(The first inning) put me in a huge hole, put the team in a big hole," said Volstad. "That’s not the momentum you want to put the team in right off the bat."
The Reds added a run in the eighth inning on Stubbs’ single to score Devin Mesoraco, and on a ninth-inning pinch-hit triple by Todd Frazier.
Mesoraco finished 2 for 3 with two runs scored.
Aroldis Chapman struck out a pair in a scoreless eighth, and Jose Arredondo pitched a flawless ninth to close the door.
Bryan LaHair had two more hits for the Cubs. He’s batting .375 on the year and has a base hit in every game he’s started.
Game Notes: The Cubs placed RHP Kerry Wood (right shoulder fatigue) on the 15-day disabled list and recalled LHP Scott Maine from Triple-A Iowa . Brandon Phillips was held out of the lineup due to the cold weather and lingering hamstring soreness . Ryan Dempster (strained right quad) is questionable for his start on Sunday. RHP Randy Wells will be recalled from Iowa if Dempster is unable to go. . Paul Maholm takes the mound for the Cubs on Saturday in the second game of the series against Mike Leake. Both are in search of their first win of the season.
