No Triskaidekaphobia For the Reds.

For the third time in this young season the Reds played a 13-inning game.

Although they lost the first one and an 11-inning contest earlier in the month, the first home stand no less, the Reds won its second 13-inning game in three days with a comeback 5-4 victory over the Cubs.

The game started as a pitching duel between two young pitchers who competed for the fifth starting rotation spot in 2010 for the Reds.

Travis Wood, who was traded along with Dave Sappelt for Sean Marshall, pitched brilliantly for the Cubs.

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Mike Leake allowed a home run to David DeJesus the Cubs leadoff batter but only one other marker in his seven innings. Starlin Castro extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a run scoring single in the third inning.  Leake allowed a total of eight hits but pitched seven strong innings.


Wood was rolling along.  He gave up two singles to Devin Mesoraco.  He walked Joey Votto and Shin-Soo Choo.  He also hit Choo with a pitch, the 10th time this month that the Reds' centerfielder was plunked.  It set a Reds' team record.

Outside of that Wood was cruising until Jay Bruce hit a line drive high enough to clear the rightfield fence leading off the seventh inning.  It was the first that Wood allowed this season and the first that Bruce hit.

Reporters crowded around Bruce to ask about it but he beat them to the inquiry.

"Did you think I wasn't going to hit one?" Bruce asked.

Did you?" the reporters echoed.

"I really didn't even think about it," Bruce said.  "History showed that I hit home runs.  I didn't even give it a thought."

Chris Heisey legged out an infield hit one out later that ended the night for Wood.  Pinch hitter Jack Hannahan tripled off James Russel, who was born in Cincinnati.  Russell's father and uncle played the main sports at Wyoming High School.  He was the lone lefty in the Cubs' bullpen.

From the seventh through the 12th inning it was the managers trying to get enough innings out of the bullpen in this battle of attrition.

Jonathan Broxton could only pitch 2/3 of an inning.  He had to leave the game when Nate Schierholtz lined a pitch off his right hand.  X-rays were negative.  Logan Ondrusek finished the eighth for Broxton with a strikeout. It was the fourth straight batter Ondrusek fanned over the last two games.

Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth striking out all three Cubs' batters.

For the Cubs, Carlos Marmol pitched two innings.  Kevin Gregg pitched one. Russel turned in an inning and 2/3.

The Reds used Sam LeCure for an inning and 2/3. He survived two errors in the 10th but struck out three batters in a row.  For the fifth straight game the Reds struck out 10 or more batters.  The first time in the modern era (since 1900) Reds' pitchers accomplished the feat.  LeCure lost control with two outs and the bases empty.  He gave up a hit to Darwin Barney, then walked pinch-hitter Julio Borbon and DeJesus.

J.J. Hoover rescued him by getting Castro to line to right.  Hoover struck out the side in the Cubs' 12th.

Alfredo Simon and Michael Bowden carried the game into the 13th.

Todd Frazier let Wellington Castillo's grounder through his legs for a two-base error and Luis Valbuena followed with a home run.

The Reds came back.

Xavier Paul singled to start the inning.  Votto lined out to left.  Brandon Phillips sliced one to right that Sappelt couldn't get in front of, sending Paul to third and Phillips to second.   Bruce lined a hit to the gap in right center.

"I use the same approach, just look of a pitch to drive," Bruce said.

Cesar Izturis lined a single to left and the Reds celebrated.

"It was a great win for us," Dusty Baker said.  "It was a long night for thinking.  We almost ran out of pitchers."