Published 1:35am Monday, December 26, 2011

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds acquired left-handed reliever Sean Marshall from the Chicago Cubs on Friday for young lefty starter Travis Wood and two other players.

It was the second time in a week that the Reds gave up several prospects for pitching help. They earlier sent four players, including Edinson Volquez, to San Diego for starter Mat Latos.

The 29-year-old, 6-foot-7 Marshall was 6-6 with a 2.26 ERA last season. He had five saves. The Reds have been in talks to try to re-sign closer Francisco Cordero, who became a free agent after last season.

“Sean has been one of the best and most durable relievers in baseball the last couple of seasons,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said in a statement.

The 24-year-old Wood made 35 starts for the Reds over two seasons. He finished 6-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 2011, with a stint in Triple-A after struggling early in the year.

The Cubs also get 24-year-old outfielder Dave Sappelt, who batted .243 in 38 games with the Reds, and 19-year-old infield prospect Ronald Torreyes, who batted .356 in 67 games for Class-A Dayton.

“Twenty-four-year old left-handed starters who have already had success in the big leagues don’t grow on trees,” Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. “We had to give up a great relief pitcher in Sean Marshall and someone we were proud to call a Cub, but we think to acquire Wood and the two young guys, it was worth doing.”

Wood made 17 starts for the Reds in 2010, going 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA. He took a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies before giving up a double to Carlos Ruiz, and left after finishing the ninth with the game scoreless.

Wood began last season in the Reds’ starting rotation, made 10 starts for Louisville, then returned to Cincinnati. He also had four relief appearances for Cincinnati.

“He had a little bit of a down year last year, a little bit of a sophomore slump, but we still think all the ingredients are there to make him an excellent starting pitcher in the big leagues and you tend to not be able to get guys like that after their strong rookie years,” Epstein said. “But sometimes you have a chance to get them after they take a little bit of their lumps on the learning curve.”

Wood said he relied too heavily on his cutter last season and “lost the ability to really stick that four-seam (fastball) in there.” His control was off, but he also sees a shot at redemption in Chicago.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for me,” he said. “The Reds do have a lot of depth in their rotation. … Hopefully, I can get to Chicago and make a difference.”

Besides the addition of Latos, the Reds return starting pitchers Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Homer Bailey and Bronson Arroyo. Aroldis Chapman, a left-handed reliever in his first two seasons, is also a possible starter next season.

In another move, Cincinnati claimed reliever Josh Judy off waivers from Cleveland. The 25-year-old right-hander pitched in 12 games over four stints with the Indians last season, with no record and a 7.70 ERA. He was 6-2 with a 3.12 ERA and 23 saves at Triple-A Columbus.

Epstein said the Cubs could still use some more starting pitchers in their farm system and at the major league level. He also said they’re weighing ace Matt Garza’s trade value versus locking him into a long-term deal. The right-hander was tendered a contract last week and is eligible for arbitration.

“It’s hard to find top-of-the-rotation-type guys, so if you have them and there’s a way to keep them around, I think that’s always compelling for the club,” Epstein said. “Now, that said, we’re in a mode where we have to listen on everybody. If there’s a way to improve the long-term outlook for this club in a significant manner, then we just can’t look past opportunities like that. We’re not in a situation where we have to do anything with Garza, but generally, we’re in the business right now of taking our short-term assets and turning them into long-term assets.”

———

AP sports writer Andrew Seligman in Chicago contributed to this report.

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds acquired left-handed reliever Sean Marshall from the Chicago Cubs on Friday for young lefty starter Travis Wood and two other players.

It was the second time in a week that the Reds gave up several prospects for pitching help. They earlier sent four players, including Edinson Volquez, to San Diego for starter Mat Latos.

The 29-year-old, 200-cm Marshall was 6-6 with a 2.26 ERA last season. He had five saves. The Reds have been in talks to try to re-sign closer Francisco Cordero, who became a free agent after last season.

“Sean has been one of the best and most durable relievers in baseball the last couple of seasons,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said in a statement.

Wood, 24, made 35 starts for the Reds over two seasons. He finished 6-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 2011, with a stint in Triple-A after struggling early in the year.

The Cubs also get 24-year-old outfielder Dave Sappelt, who batted .243 in 38 games with the Reds, and 19-year-old infield prospect Ronald Torreyes, who batted .356 in 67 games for Class-A Dayton.

“Twenty-four-year old left-handed starters who have already had success in the big leagues don’t grow on trees,” Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. “We had to give up a great relief pitcher in Sean Marshall and someone we were proud to call a Cub, but we think to acquire Wood and the two young guys, it was worth doing.”

Wood made 17 starts for the Reds in 2010, going 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA. On July 10, he took a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies before giving up a double to Carlos Ruiz, and left after finishing the ninth with the game scoreless.

Wood began last season in the Reds’ starting rotation, made 10 starts for Louisville, then returned to Cincinnati. He also had four relief appearances for Cincinnati.

“He had a little bit of a down year last year, a little bit of a sophomore slump, but we still think all the ingredients are there to make him an excellent starting pitcher in the big leagues and you tend to not be able to get guys like that after their strong rookie years,” Epstein said. “But sometimes you have a chance to get them after they take a little bit of their lumps on the learning curve.”

Wood said he relied too heavily on his cutter last season and “lost the ability to really stick that four-seam (fastball) in there.”

His control was off, but he also sees a shot at redemption in Chicago.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for me,” he said. “The Reds do have a lot of depth in their rotation. . . . Hopefully, I can get to Chicago and make a difference.”

Nats bring in Gonzalez

AP

WASHINGTON — Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has kept his eye on Gio Gonzalez for the last decade or so. Now, the left-hander is a member of Rizzo’s starting rotation.

Capping trade talks that began about a month ago, the Athletics and Nationals completed a six-player swap Friday that sends Gonzalez from Oakland to Washington, where he joins a promising pitching staff that already included right-handers Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann.

“I’ve known him since he was in high school in the Miami area. This is a guy I followed for years. I really like the way he competes,” Rizzo said on a conference call.

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds acquired left-handed reliever Sean Marshall from the Chicago Cubs on Friday for young lefty starter Travis Wood and two other players.

It was the second time in a week that the Reds gave up several prospects for pitching help. They earlier sent four players, including Edinson Volquez, to San Diego for starter Mat Latos.

The 29-year-old, 6-foot-7 Marshall was 6-6 with a 2.26 ERA last season. He had five saves. The Reds have been in talks to try to re-sign closer Francisco Cordero, who became a free agent after last season.

“Sean has been one of the best and most durable relievers in baseball the last couple of seasons,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said in a statement.

The 24-year-old Wood made 35 starts for the Reds over two seasons. He finished 6-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 2011, with a stint in Triple-A after struggling early in the year.

The Cubs also get 24-year-old outfielder Dave Sappelt, who batted .243 in 38 games with the Reds, and 19-year-old infield prospect Ronald Torreyes, who batted .356 in 67 games for Class-A Dayton.

“Twenty-four-year old left-handed starters who have already had success in the big leagues don’t grow on trees,” Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. “We had to give up a great relief pitcher in Sean Marshall and someone we were proud to call a Cub, but we think to acquire Wood and the two young guys, it was worth doing.”

Wood made 17 starts for the Reds in 2010, going 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA. He took a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies before giving up a double to Carlos Ruiz, and left after finishing the ninth with the game scoreless.

Wood began last season in the Reds’ starting rotation, made 10 starts for Louisville, then returned to Cincinnati. He also had four relief appearances for Cincinnati.

“He had a little bit of a down year last year, a little bit of a sophomore slump, but we still think all the ingredients are there to make him an excellent starting pitcher in the big leagues and you tend to not be able to get guys like that after their strong rookie years,” Epstein said. “But sometimes you have a chance to get them after they take a little bit of their lumps on the learning curve.”

Wood said he relied too heavily on his cutter last season and “lost the ability to really stick that four-seam (fastball) in there.” His control was off, but he also sees a shot at redemption in Chicago.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for me,” he said. “The Reds do have a lot of depth in their rotation. … Hopefully, I can get to Chicago and make a difference.”

Besides the addition of Latos, the Reds return starting pitchers Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Homer Bailey and Bronson Arroyo. Aroldis Chapman, a left-handed reliever in his first two seasons, is also a possible starter next season.

In another move, Cincinnati claimed reliever Josh Judy off waivers from Cleveland. The 25-year-old right-hander pitched in 12 games over four stints with the Indians last season, with no record and a 7.70 ERA. He was 6-2 with a 3.12 ERA and 23 saves at Triple-A Columbus.

Epstein said the Cubs could still use some more starting pitchers in their farm system and at the major league level. He also said they’re weighing ace Matt Garza’s trade value versus locking him into a long-term deal. The right-hander was tendered a contract last week and is eligible for arbitration.

“It’s hard to find top-of-the-rotation-type guys, so if you have them and there’s a way to keep them around, I think that’s always compelling for the club,” Epstein said. “Now, that said, we’re in a mode where we have to listen on everybody. If there’s a way to improve the long-term outlook for this club in a significant manner, then we just can’t look past opportunities like that. We’re not in a situation where we have to do anything with Garza, but generally, we’re in the business right now of taking our short-term assets and turning them into long-term assets.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The Cincinnati Reds snapped a four-game losing streak with a 6-4 win over the Astros on Tuesday night.

CINCINNATI –

Homer Bailey lived up to his name by beating his hometown team for the fourth time.

Bailey shut Houston down again and came up with a career-high three hits and Devin Mesoraco homered to help the Cincinnati Reds snap a four-game losing streak with a 6-4 win over the Astros on Tuesday night.

Brandon Phillips also homered while Jay Bruce had three hits and Dave Sappelt and Juan Francisco each added two hits each as the Reds broke out of a slump. Their nine hits through five innings were one more than their total from the previous three games.

Bailey (9-7), who went into the game 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA in three starts against the Astros this season, set a career-high in wins while allowing six hits and two runs with two walks and five strikeouts in seven innings.

“He did everything tonight,” Dusty Baker said. “He fielded and got three hits. We needed him to go deep in the game with our bullpen situation.”

Bailey is from LaGrange, Texas a little over 100 miles from Houston.

“I like to pitch in Houston more,” Bailey said.

The 25-year set career highs even though he missed the first five weeks of the season with an impingement in his right shoulder.

“My number one goal for next year is to stay healthy,” Bailey said. “I had some injuries that were no one’s fault but if you look at my wins per start, I’d be at 15 wins over a full season.”

Houston manager Brad Mills has seen enough of Bailey for the year.

“How about that not only pitching against us but offensively too. He’s had some good outings against us,” Mills said.

Francisco Cordero pitched the ninth for his 34th save.

Houston starter Bud Norris (6-11) left the game two outs into the third inning with discomfort in his right shoulder. Norris allowed seven hits and three runs with two walks and three strikeouts while setting a career high in losses.

Juan Francisco led off Cincinnati’s second against Norris with a single to center. After Drew Stubbs, extending his single-season franchise strikeout record to 199, Mesoraco hit a 369-foot line drive into the left field seats for his second career homer.

The Reds loaded the bases on singles by Paul Janish and Bailey and a walk by Phillips, and Sappelt grounded an RBI single up the middle for a 3-0 lead.

Houston cut the lead to 3-2 in the third on Jordan Shafer’s leadoff walk and J.D. Martinez’s one-out homer into the visitors’ bullpen down the right field line.

The 334-foot drive on Bailey’s first pitch was Martinez’s ninth homer of the season and first since Aug. 20. That matched the number of runs scored by the Astros in Bailey’s three previous starts against them this season.

The Reds regained their three-run lead in the fourth on Bailey’s leadoff single, Sappelt’s one-out walk, a wild pitch and Bruce’s two-run single, which snapped a 0-for-16 drought.

Pinch-hitter Chris Johnson roughed up reliever Bill Bray for a two-run homer into the second deck of the left field bleachers in the eighth. It was his seventh homer of the season and first pinch-hit homer of his career.

Phillips countered in the bottom of the eighth with his 18th homer of the season into the Reds’ bullpen in left-center field. It was his sixth in the first nine games of this homestand.

“I’m just swinging the bat,” Phillips said. “I feel comfortable at the top of the lineup.”

The win tied Baker with Earl Weaver with 1,480 career wins and 21st place all-time.

“It took a week to get,” Baker said. “It’s nice to move up the ladder but we really just needed the win.”

Notes: Reds RHP Johnny Cueto will finish six innings short of qualifying for the ERA championship. Cueto, who left his last start with a strained muscle in his upper right back, said Tuesday that doctors have advised him to not throw for a while. Currently second to Los Angeles LHP Clayton Kershaw in the ERA race, Cueto needed six innings to reach the 162 he needs to qualify for the title. … The start of the game was delayed 13 minutes by rain. … Cincinnati’s Joey Votto singled in the ninth after going a season-high 14 at bats without a hit. … Houston’s Brett Wallace is hitless in his last 27 at bats after striking out as a pinch-hitter in the seventh. … Houston LHP Wandy Rodriguez, Wednesday’s scheduled starter, has been on a strikeout tear lately, with a total of 33 over his last 24 2-3 innings, spanning four starts. He needs two to reach 1,000 for his career. … Cincinnati’s starter, RHP Bronson Arroyo, will very likely see his streak of consecutive 200-inning seasons snapped at six. He has 182 innings with two remaining starts.

The Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 Tuesday night to end a three-game losing streak.

CINCINNATI –

Mike Leake can look forward to next year thinking about how well he ended this season.

Leake pitched eight effective innings, Brandon Phillips homered again and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 Tuesday night to end a three-game losing streak.

Leake (12-9) made the majors right out of Arizona State and this is just his second season working out of a five-man rotation. The Reds thought it best to limit his innings and do not plan to pitch him again this year.

He finished with 175 innings, with all but seven in the major leagues. He is the Reds’ leader in wins and strikeouts.

“I’d like to finish the year but I understand,” Leake said. “The want to protect me and protect themselves.”

Leake allowed one run on six hits and two walks and struck out two.

Leake pitched a career-high nine innings in his previous start, giving up three hits against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He took a one-hit shutout into the ninth in that game before giving up Starlin Castro’s two-out infield single and pinch-hitter Bryan LaHair’s tying home run.

“We wanted him to have one more start after that tough ending last time,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He’s matured a lot as a pitcher and a person. He reads bats well, fields his position and is an all-around player. We will limit him to pinch-running and in dire circumstances pinch-hitting.”

Leake was happy with his season, even with a brief demotion to Triple-A Louisville.

“It was a good learning year. It was nice to go down for a couple weeks and prove I belong,” Leake said.

Phillips homered for the third time in two games. He has 15 home runs this year.

Francisco Cordero pitched the ninth for his 33rd save.

The Cubs saw their three-game winning streak come to an end while wasting a solid pitching performance by Ryan Dempster (10-12). He allowed two runs and six hits, striking out eight in seven innings.

“That was fun,” Dempster said.

After combining for 27 hits, including seven home runs, and 20 runs in Monday’s 12-8 Chicago win, the Reds and Cubs produced a total of 12 hits and three runs with one homer on Tuesday.

Phillips connected in the bottom of the first for his third home run in four at-bats over the last two games.

The Reds made it 2-0 in the fifth. Devin Mesoraco drew a leadoff walk, Leake grounded into a forceout, Phillips walked and Edgar Renteria hit an RBI single. Renteria had three hits.

Carlos Pena led off the Cubs sixth with a double. He moved to third on LaHair’s soft single to left-center field and scored on Alfonso Soriano’s double-play grounder.

NOTES: Castro walked to lead off the game for the second consecutive night. He has reached base at least once in 26 consecutive games. … LaHair extended his career-opening hitting streak to eight games. … Reds RHP Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati’s scheduled starter on Wednesday, trails Los Angeles LHP Clayton Kershaw in the NL ERA race by .0044 percentage points. Cueto has gone four starts without a decision, including two blown saves. … Chicago’s scheduled starter, RHP Casey Coleman, hasn’t won in nine appearances, including seven starts, since May 19 at Florida. He is 0-4 in the span.

Leake (12-9) made the majors right out of Arizona State and this is just his second season working out of a five-man rotation. The Reds thought it best to limit his innings and do not plan to pitch him again this year.

He finished with 175 innings, with all but seven in the major leagues. He is the Reds’ leader in wins and strikeouts.

“I’d like to finish the year but I understand,” Leake said. “The want to protect me and protect themselves.”

Leake allowed one run on six hits and two walks and struck out two.

Leake pitched a career-high nine innings in his previous start, giving up three hits against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He took a one-hit shutout into the ninth in that game before giving up Starlin Castro’s two-out infield single and pinch-hitter Bryan LaHair’s tying home run.

“We wanted him to have one more start after that tough ending last time,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He’s matured a lot as a pitcher and a person. He reads bats well, fields his position and is an all-around player. We will limit him to pinch-running and in dire circumstances pinch-hitting.”

Leake was happy with his season, even with a brief demotion to Triple-A Louisville.

“It was a good learning year. It was nice to go down for a couple weeks and prove I belong,” Leake said.

Phillips homered for the third time in two games. He has 15 home runs this year.

Francisco Cordero pitched the ninth for his 33rd save.

The Cubs saw their three-game winning streak come to an end while wasting a solid pitching performance by Ryan Dempster (10-12). He allowed two runs and six hits, striking out eight in seven innings.

“That was fun,” Dempster said.

After combining for 27 hits, including seven home runs, and 20 runs in Monday’s 12-8 Chicago win, the Reds and Cubs produced a total of 12 hits and three runs with one homer on Tuesday.

Phillips connected in the bottom of the first for his third home run in four at-bats over the last two games.

The Reds made it 2-0 in the fifth. Devin Mesoraco drew a leadoff walk, Leake grounded into a forceout, Phillips walked and Edgar Renteria hit an RBI single. Renteria had three hits.

Carlos Pena led off the Cubs sixth with a double. He moved to third on LaHair’s soft single to left-center field and scored on Alfonso Soriano’s double-play grounder.

NOTES: Castro walked to lead off the game for the second consecutive night. He has reached base at least once in 26 consecutive games. … LaHair extended his career-opening hitting streak to eight games. … Reds RHP Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati’s scheduled starter on Wednesday, trails Los Angeles LHP Clayton Kershaw in the NL ERA race by .0044 percentage points. Cueto has gone four starts without a decision, including two blown saves. … Chicago’s scheduled starter, RHP Casey Coleman, hasn’t won in nine appearances, including seven starts, since May 19 at Florida. He is 0-4 in the span.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Miguel Cairo singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning Friday night, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals.

CINCINNATI – Miguel Cairo singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning Friday night, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals in a game delayed because some of the lights went out.

Cairo’s single to the gap in left-center was the third straight hit off Colin Balester (1-2).

A bank of lights behind first base went out in the top of the seventh. The umpires talked to both managers and decided to continue. The game was halted when another light bank went dark in the eighth, prompting a 17-minute delay.

Washington’s Wilson Ramos hit a three-run homer off left-hander Dontrelle Willis, who remained winless despite matching his career high with three hits. Francisco Cordero (5-3) escaped a scoring threat in the ninth.

Brandon Phillips had a pair of run-scoring singles on a night when the postgame fireworks were dedicated to his musical tastes. Todd Frazier tied it with a run-scoring single in the seventh off reliever Tom Gorzelanny.

Willis threw 123 pitches and had the 15th multihit game of his career, but couldn’t get a win. The left-hander has become the Reds’ hard-luck pitcher. The bullpen has blown a save in three of his starts. Plus, he gets the worst run support on the staff.

Left fielder Jonny Gomes returned for the first time since the Reds traded him for two minor leaguers on July 26, the only deal that the defending NL Central champions made before the non-waiver deadline. He singled, walked, struck out and ground out.

The Reds dedicated their Friday night fireworks to Phillips, using his favorite summer tunes as the soundtrack. The second baseman got the 35,089 fans cheering with an RBI single in the second, when shortstop Ian Desmond’s fielding error set up the unearned run. Phillips also singled home a run in the sixth.

Willis walked a season-high five batters, giving the Nationals plenty of chances. It was familiar for the Nationals, who arrived in a hitting slump – a total of three runs while dropping their last three games. They were 1 for 16 with runners in scoring position during an 8-1 loss to Arizona on Thursday night.

They had only one hit in 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position on Friday night – Ramos’ homer in the fourth inning for a 3-1 lead. His 11 homers are the most in one season by a Nationals catcher.

NOTES: The Nationals placed RH reliever Ryan Mattheus on the 15-day DL with a strained pitching shoulder. A corresponding move is expected on Saturday. … The Reds activated RH reliever Logan Ondrusek off the 15-day DL and optioned LHP Travis Wood to the minors. … RH Mike Leake was the last Reds pitcher to get three hits in a game. He did it July 9, 2010 at Philadelphia. … After their weekend series in Cincinnati, the Nationals go to Atlanta for three more games, avoiding Hurricane Irene. … LHP Ross Detwiler starts Saturday for the Nationals. He ended a three-game losing streak on Monday by beating Arizona 4-1. … Leake tries to become the Reds’ first 11-game winner on Saturday. He’s 2-1 in three career starts against the Nationals.

CINCINNATI (AP) – Miguel Cairo singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning last night, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals in a game delayed because some of the lights went out.

Cairo’s single to the gap in left-center was the third straight hit off Colin Balester (1-2).

A bank of lights behind first base went out in the top of the seventh. The umpires talked to both managers and decided to continue. The game was halted when another light bank went dark in the eighth, prompting a 17-minute delay.

Washington’s Wilson Ramos hit a three-run homer off left-hander Dontrelle Willis, who remained winless despite matching his career high with three hits. Francisco Cordero (5-3) escaped a scoring threat in the ninth.

Brandon Phillips had a pair of run-scoring singles on a night when the postgame fireworks were dedicated to his musical tastes. Todd Frazier tied it with a run-scoring single in the seventh off reliever Tom Gorzelanny.

Willis threw 123 pitches and had the 15th multihit game of his career, but couldn’t get a win. The left-hander has become the Reds’ hard-luck pitcher. The bullpen has blown a save in three of his starts. Plus, he gets the worst run support on the staff.

Left fielder Jonny Gomes returned for the first time since the Reds traded him for two minor leaguers on July 26, the only deal that the defending NL Central champions made before the non-waiver deadline. He singled, walked, struck out and ground out.

The Reds dedicated their Friday night fireworks to Phillips, using his favorite summer tunes as the soundtrack. The second baseman got the 35,089 fans cheering with an RBI single in the second, when shortstop Ian Desmond’s fielding error set up the unearned run. Phillips also singled home a run in the sixth.

Willis walked a season-high five batters, giving the Nationals plenty of chances. It was familiar for the Nationals, who arrived in a hitting slump – a total of three runs while dropping their last three games. They were 1 for 16 with runners in scoring position during an 8-1 loss to Arizona on Thursday night.

They had only one hit in 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position on Friday night – Ramos’ homer in the fourth inning for a 3-1 lead. His 11 homers are the most in one season by a Nationals catcher.

NOTES: The Nationals placed RH reliever Ryan Mattheus on the 15-day DL with a strained pitching shoulder. A corresponding move is expected on Saturday. … The Reds activated RH reliever Logan Ondrusek off the 15-day DL and optioned LHP Travis Wood to the minors. … RH Mike Leake was the last Reds pitcher to get three hits in a game. He did it July 9, 2010 at Philadelphia. … After their weekend series in Cincinnati, the Nationals go to Atlanta for three more games, avoiding Hurricane Irene. … LHP Ross Detwiler starts Saturday for the Nationals. He ended a three-game losing streak on Monday by beating Arizona 4-1. … Leake tries to become the Reds’ first 11-game winner on Saturday. He’s 2-1 in three career starts against the Nationals.

CINCINNATI, Aug. 26 (UPI) — Miguel Cairo singled in Drew Stubbs from second with one away in the ninth Friday, giving the Cincinnati Reds a 4-3 victory over Washington.

The Reds handed the Nationals their fourth straight loss, rallying from a 3-1 deficit.

Stubbs singled with one out in the ninth off Collin Balester (1-2) and moved to second on a base hit by Todd Frazier. Cairo then drove a 1-0 pitch deep to left-center to bring home the winning run.

Francisco Cordero (5-3) escaped a jam in the top of the ninth to pick up the victory.

Cincinnati starter Dontrelle Willis did not figure in the decision, but he had three hits in helping the Reds win for the 10th time in 15 games.

Washington’s runs came on a three-run blast by Wilson Ramos in the fourth.