With SP Ryan Dempster taking the mound for his first start since returning from the DL earlier in the day, the Chicago Cubs have taken a 3-0 lead against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday afternoon.
The Cubs, who entered the game with the least home runs in the MLB with 11, has scored all three runs on the merit of solo jacks. In the first inning, SS Starlin Castro redirected a SP Homer Bailey pitch into center field for. In the fourth inning, 1B Bryan LaHair launched his team-leading 7th home run of the season for a 2-0 Cubs lead. Then, with the bases cleared in the 5th, C Geovany Soto cranked a dinger to left for his second shot of the year and a 2.0 lead.
Through 7.0 innings, Dempster has meanwhile suffocated the Reds lineup, allowing only 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6.
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