4 out of 5 is still pretty good. CHI 6, CIN 4

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Ryan Ludwick drove in two runs on three hits, including his sixth home run of the season.  Unfortunately, all the Reds runs came in the first three innings, before the bats went quiet for the majority of the rest of the game.

Not much else positive to report in this one, unfortunately.  Homer Bailey looked to be on the way to at least a decent start before he was removed from the game due to pain in his knee in the top of the sixth inning.  The Reds have confirmed via Twitter that he is expected to make his next start, so that's good news.

More good news, if you need it, is that the Reds won four out of five in this series, and it took the Cubs 12 innings to squeak out a victory against basically half a team.

Key Plays

• The Reds got started right away, when Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks walked the first two batters he faced, Chris Heisey and Skip Schumaker.  After a Todd Frazier out, Brayan Pena doubled to score Heisey, and then Ludwick singled to score Schumaker.  Ramon Santiago then singled to drive in Pena, giving the Reds the early 3-0 lead.
• In the top of the third, the Cubs struck back when Chris Coghlin doubled with Hendricks on board, and then Arismendy Alcantara drove Hendricks in with a sacrifice fly.  Reds still lead 3-1.
• The next inning, Ludwick homered to push the score to 4-1 Reds.
• Alcantara did more damage in the fifth inning, when he doubled, scoring Baker and Coghlin.  Reds still lead, 4-3.
• At the start of the top of the sixth inning, Bailey was removed from the game after an awkward pitch.  The Reds confirmed that he was removed with pain in his right knee.  After the game, the Reds indicated that he is expected to make his next start.
• The Reds bullpen held down the fort until the eighth inning, when Jonathan Broxton gave up a run on an infield single, a throwing error, and a Starlin Castro single.  All tied up at 4.
• In the twelfth inning with J.J. Hoover pitching, two Cubs reached on infield singles, and then Luis Valbuena drove them in with a triple.  Schumaker may have gotten his bell rung running into the wall trying to make the catch, but he recovered in time to make a nice throw to nail Valbuena at the plate.  So who knows.  Cubs lead 6-4.
  
• Blake Parker nailed down the win in the bottom of the twelfth, allowing a Frazier single but nothing else.  Cubs win 6-4.

Fangraph

Source: FanGraphs

Other Notes

• The big news, of course, is that Brandon Phillips will be having surgery on his injured left thumb.  The Reds are saying he's expected to miss six weeks.  Get well soon, BP.
• There was a bench clearing altercation in the ninth inning.  Some of the Cubs took offense to some of Aroldis Chapman's pitches, and words were exchanged.  No punches were thrown and no players were ejected.  Hopefully it was just some frustration on the part of the Cubs having been beaten by the Reds so often lately.
• Chapman also tied a modern major league record by having at least one strikeout in 39 straight appearances (the record goes back to 1900).  He's tied with Bruce Sutter, who accomplished the feat in 1977.
• Three more games until the All-Star break, where most of the Reds can take a few days to lick their wounds.  Until then, though, the Pirates sail into town.  Should be a fun series.
• Hurtin' Tune