9th Inning Comeback Gives Cubs Victory
CHICAGO (AP) -- Kosuke Fukudome hit a game-ending single as the Chicago Cubs scored twice in the ninth inning to beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 Saturday.
Carlos Pena led off the ninth with a homer to right field homer to tie it at 2. Blake DeWitt later singled up the middle, then advanced to third on Jeff Baker's ground-rule double to center field.
Fukudome won it with a single up the middle.
Francisco Cordero (2-1) allowed two runs and four hits while getting just two outs for the Reds, whose three-game winning streak was snapped.
Marcos Mateo (1-1) pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings for Chicago.
Chicago's offense didn't get going until Reds starter Bronson Arroyo exited in the eighth. Arroyo allowed one run on seven hits in 7 1-3 innings, striking out three. He also had a hit. His only blemish came in the fourth, when DeWitt hit a solo shot to right.
But Casey Coleman kept Chicago close, allowing two runs on four hits in six innings. He struck out a career-high six and walked three.
Coleman breezed through six scoreless innings before walking Chris Heisey to lead off the seventh. Ryan Hanigan singled to advance Heisey to third.
Kerry Wood relieved Coleman gave up Fred Lewis' RBI fielder's choice to shortstop. Lewis advanced to second on Arroyo's sacrifice. Lewis scored when Drew Stubbs lined a single to center.
NOTES: Chicago SS Starlin Castro and OF Alfonso Soriano were given the day off. Castro is 0 for 8 with three strikeouts against Arroyo for his career, while Soriano is batting .186 with 13 strikeouts against in 43 career at-bats against the Reds' ace. Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of Castro's MLB debut, when he drove in six runs in Cincinnati to set an MLB record for most RBIs in by a player in his first major league game. Cincinnati RHP Johnny Cueto is scheduled to come off the disabled list Sunday to make his first appearance of the season. Cueto, who won a career-high 12 games for the Reds in 2010, missed the first month of the season with irritation in his right biceps/triceps. He went 0-2 with a 6.28 in four rehab appearances. Reds INF Paul Janish was held out of the Reds lineup Saturday a day after turning his ankle while running the bases. Janish is day to day. 1B Joey Votto led off the sixth with a walk to reach base for the 33rd straight game, one shy of the Reds record to start a season.
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