Cordero Five For Five In Save Chances In Reds 5-4 Win Over Cubs

Francisco Cordero and the Reds bullpen saved a win for Edinson Volquez.

Cordero walked Kosuke Fukadome to lead off the ninth inning but Darwin Barney lined to the mound and Cordero doubled Fukadome off firstbase.  Sterling Castro flied out to Jay Bruce, who put the Reds up for good with a three-run home run off Matt Garza.

Cordero gets the statistical credit for the save but Volquez was bailed out by Sam LeCure, who started in the absence of Homer Bailey and Johnny Cueto.  Volquez allowed seven ground ball singles.

With his pitch count higher than it should have been due to errors by Paul Janish, playing thirdbase and Edgar Renteria at shortstop, caused Volquez to pitch around the miscues.

In the sixth inning Marlon Byrd opened the inning with a single. Volquez walked Carlos Pena.

Dusty Baker brought in LeCure.  Geovanny Soto singled to make the score 5-4.  LeCure hit Reed Johnson with a pitch to load the bases with no outs.  LeCure struck out Fukadome.  He got Barney to foul out to catcher Ramon Hernandez, then retired Starling Castro on a ground ball to short.

LeCure pitched another scoreless inning and turned the eighth over to Nick Masset.

Masset retired the Cubs in order.  Cordero finished them off.

The Reds had gone four straight games without an error but had two errors and a passed ball which gave the Cubs an unearned run.

Cincinnati has now won three straight, all over division rivals.

Bruce is now 7-for-24 in his last seven games with four home runs and eight RBI.

Cordero has two wins and three saves in his last five appearances, all of them scoreless.