relief of Darcy Kuemper during a series- clinc

CHICAGO -- The Cincinnati Reds arent hitting much and their bullpen is tired. Mat Latos made sure they wouldnt need much of a contribution from either area to beat the slumping Chicago Cubs. Latos pitched eight scoreless innings, and Brandon Phillips hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to lead the Reds to a 2-0 win over All-Star Travis Wood and the Cubs on Monday night. Latos, 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA since the All-Star break, allowed six hits and struck out nine for the Reds, who gained a half-game on idle Pittsburgh and St. Louis in the NL Central. Latos (12-3) gave the Reds bullpen a much needed rest after Cincinnati used six relievers for a combined six innings of work Sunday in a 3-2, 13-inning win over San Diego. He also helped pick up an offence that has scored just six runs in three games. "I had real good stuff," Latos said. "I was able to rely on the fastball and the slider all game. I threw one other pitch beside the fastball and the slider." Cincinnati left fielder Ryan Ludwick returned from the disabled list and went 0 for 3. He had been out since April 1 when he tore cartilage in his right shoulder while sliding headfirst into third base against the Los Angeles Angels. Though Ludwick didnt produce much, Latos didnt need anything else. When Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth inning for his 28th save in 32 tries, Cincinnati had its 10th win in 12 games over the Cubs this season. The Reds are 13-1 in their last 14 games at Wrigley Field. They also continued the Cubs home scoring woes. Chicago has gone 32 2-3 innings without scoring a run at Wrigley Field, and was shut out there for the third straight game. That hadnt happened since Aug. 20-21, 1924. "Its funny. Were scoring in bigger parks and stuff on the road and we cant seem to muster up anything at home," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "We have no slugging percentage at home right now." Cincinnati didnt have much of a slugging percentage, either, against former Reds pitcher Travis Wood. Wood (7-9) posted his 20th quality start but took the loss. He went eight innings and allowed Phillips homer among four hits. Wood struck out four and walked only one, but the Cubs lost for the 11th time in 15 games. "That was big, Brandons home run, because Woody was dealing on the other side, too," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "That guy has given us kind of the blues." Latos and Chapman did the same to the Cubs, who didnt get their first hit until Donnie Murphy singled with two outs in the fifth. Darwin Barney followed with a single that moved Murphy to third. Latos ended the threat by getting Wood to fly out to left. Chicago also made a costly mistake on the bases in the sixth. Junior Lake singled with one out, and when Anthony Rizzo followed with a hit to centre, Lake was thrown out at third by centre fielder Shin-Soo Choo. "At any given time, it doesnt matter whos in an offence," Latos said. "It could have just as easily blew up real quick. Theyve got young talent and a lot of guys that swing the bat. A lot of dangerous bats." Wood, facing the team that traded him before the 2012 season, kept the Reds in check, too. He was helped by double plays in the second and fourth innings, and was aided in the third when David DeJesus threw out Devin Mesoraco at second as he tried to stretch a single into a double. But Wood made one too many mistakes to beat Latos, giving the Reds their fifth win in six games. "From pitch one (Latos) was hitting every spot and making the pitches, so I felt like, OK, you have to step it up and make sure we cant fall behind here," Wood said. "Hats off to him, he was outstanding tonight. He outpitched me." NOTES: Cincinnati optioned OF Derrick Robinson to Triple-A Louisville to make room for Ludwick. . Mesoraco went 1 for 3 after playing all 13 innings on Sunday. When asked about playing Mesoraco on Monday, Baker cited his average against left-handers (.339), his familiarity with Latos, and his age (25). ... The Cubs promoted Kris Bryant, the No. 2 pick in this years draft, from short-season Boise to Class-A Advanced Daytona. . Cubs RHP Scott Baker threw a bullpen session and will throw one more before resuming his rehab assignment at Daytona. Baker, 31, is working back from Tommy John surgery. He has allowed 14 earned runs in 12 innings through four rehab outings at Class-A Kane County and Daytona. . On Tuesday, the Reds Homer Bailey (7-10, 3.73) faces the Cubs Jeff Samardzija (6-11, 4.23). Zack Greinke Jersey Curt Schilling Jersey . The 42-ranked Czech saved seven break points while converting his one chance, and defeated the No. 3 seed in 1 hour 46 minutes. Rosol, who lost in the final in Stuttgart against Roberto Bautista Agut on Sunday, awaits the winner between Philipp Kohlschreiber or 2011 champion Gilles Simon. http://www.diamondbackssale.com/diamondbacks-luis-gonzalez-jersey/ . The 20-year-old Inoue landed a series of combinations and the bout was stopped 2 minutes, 54 seconds into the sixth round. Inoue, the first Japanese boxer to claim a world title in just his sixth professional fight, improved to 6-0 with five knockouts. Custom Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys . At this rate, the Flyers captain is set to be remembered more for a fantastic finish. Randy Johnson Jersey . He left in the 4th inning of Saturdays game against the Tigers after experiencing tightness. Reyes and the team still hope that he will be ready for Opening Day in Tampa Bay in one week.St. Paul, MN - The Minnesota Wild released goaltender and 2014 playoff hero Ilya Bryzgalov from his professional tryout contract on Monday. Bryzgalov, acquired from the Edmonton Oilers on March 5, finished last season with a 7-1-3 record, 2.12 goals-against average and three shutouts in 12 appearances for Minnesota. He went 3-6 in nine postseason appearances, but stopped the only shot he faced in relief of Darcy Kuemper during a series- clinching, 5-4, Game 7 overtime victory in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche. The 34-year-old Russian baackstop was an unrestricted free agent and signed his PTO on Sept.dddddddddddd 17. In other moves, the Wild placed forward Justin Fontaine on injured reserve, retroactive to Sept. 27, with a lower-body injury; placed forwards Stephane Veilleux and Cody Almond on waivers and assigned forwards Joel Rechlicz and Kurtis Gabriel to Iowa of the AHL. Fontaine, 26, totaled 13 goals and 21 points in 66 games during his rookie campaign. Veilleux totaled three goals in 34 games for Minnesota last season, his eighth with the franchise. 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