Edinson Volquez Has a Successful Return Cairo Grand Covering For Rolen

Edinson Volquez had runners on base as is his custom but he prevented scoring in the first inning, allowing just a run over seven. 

His teammates put runs up against Doug Davis and one of his replacements, John Grabow to down the Chicago Cubs, 8-2.

Volquez allowed seven hits in seven innings.  He also walked two.  The Cubs had plenty of base runners but they scored in the second inning on back-to-back doubles by Aramis Ramirez and Blake DeWitt. The Cubs later loading the bases but Volquez made the big pitch, getting Darwin Barney to ground out.

The Reds on the other had built a 4-1 lead on Davis, who is now 0-5 on the season.

Paul Janish singled in the third inning.  Volquez sacrificed him to secondbase.  Drew Stubbs doubled to score Janish.  Jay Bruce singled to extend his hitting streak to nine games.  Miguel Cairo, who played thirdbase for the second straight day with Scott Rolen out with strep throat, singled Bruce to third.  Ramon Hernandez put the Reds on top with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.

Volquez and Stubbs opened the fifth with singles. Davis then walked Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto.  Jonny Gomes drove in his fifth run in two games with a sacrifice fly off reliever, Rodrigo Lopez.

Davis was unhappy to be pulled.

"Every starter wants to pitch out of that situation," Davis said. "Gomes was coming up.  He's aggressive and that works well with the way I pitch. Disappointed, yes but Lopez did a good job."

Volquez's seven innings was a season high and just what the Reds need from him.  His inability to go deep in a game was the reason the Reds sent him to Louisville for two starts.

Volquez understood the reason the Reds sent him down.

"I knew I needed it," Volquez said.  "I was cool.  I wasn't mad.  I had to do something."

Volquez, who cut his dreadlocks, thought the second inning jam would mean another early exit.

"Bryan Price (pitching coach) told me to stay compact.  That's what I did," Volquez said.

"It was our longterm plan to get him back," Dusty Baker said.  "He went down there and worked."

Cairo pressed into duty also worked.

The Reds loaded the bases on John Grabow in the seventh.  Phillips doubled, Votto singled hard enought to left that Phillips had to stop at third.  Grabow the lefty walked the red hot lefthanded hitting Bruce.  Gomes struck out.  Then Cairo unloaded the bases with a drive to the left field seats for his second career grand slam, breaking the game wide open.

"I knew I hit it good," Cairo said.  "When I saw it on replay, I said, 'Wow, I didn't think I could hit that way'."