Jay Bruce homered in three consecutive at-bats, matching his career high with five RBIs, and the first-place Cincinnati Reds extended their two-week playoff surge by beating the Chicago Cubs 7-1 on Friday night.
The Reds are 10-3 since getting swept at home by the St. Louis Cardinals from Aug. 9-11. The streak pushed Cincinnati back ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central, which the Reds have led for the last 13 days.
Johnny Cueto (12-4) got his first win since serving a seven-game suspension for kicking a couple of Cardinals during a brawl in their series. The right-hander gave up a run and six hits in eight innings.
Bruce hit a solo homer and a three-run shot off left-hander Tom Gorzelanny (7-8), who lasted only five innings. He added a solo shot in the seventh off reliever Scott Maine, giving him three homers in a span of five pitches.
Bruce's first three-homer game left him with 16 this season. He's the 26th Reds player to hit three in a game — no one has more. Cincinnati's Drew Stubs also hit three against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 4.
It was Chicago's first loss since manager Lou Piniella retired on Sunday and was replaced by Mike Quade. The Cubs were coming off a three-game sweep in Washington, but found even more problems in Cincinnati.
The Reds are 11-3 against the Cubs this season, their best mark against Chicago since they went 12-5 in 2002. Thousands of blue-shirted Cubs fans were sprinkled among the crowd of 36,219, but spent most of the night listening to the home fans scream "BRUUUCE!"
The Reds lead the NL in batting, hits and runs, but had to make due without leadoff hitter Brandon Phillips, sidelined by a sore right hand. Phillips was hit by a pitch Wednesday and is expected back in a day or two.
No problem at all.
Bruce took his place at the top of the order — the first time he batted leadoff in two years — and hit a solo homer for a 2-0 lead in the third. He homered on the first pitch in his next at-bat, a three-run shot in the fifth.
Chris Valaika, who made his big league debut on Tuesday, followed Bruce's homer with his first in the majors. Valaika started at second base in Phillips' place.
Bruce wasn't done yet.
He hit the first pitch from Maine into the seats in right field in the seventh, rounded the bases and got a curtain call, raising his helmet from a riser in the dugout.
The 24-year-old Cueto was at the epicenter of the brawl with the Cardinals on Aug. 10, kicking pitcher Chris Carpenter and catcher Jason LaRue. Cueto lost that game 11-3 and was the only player suspended as a result of the fight.
He returned in Los Angeles last Saturday and got hit hard, giving up a career-high four homers and five runs in only three innings of an 11-4 loss. He was back in form on Friday night, striking out eight without walking a batter.
NOTES: Cubs RHP Carlos Zambrano is expected back with the team on Saturday. After his start last Tuesday night, Zambrano flew to Venezuela to spend a few days with his critically ill 11-year-old nephew. ... It was Bruce's third multihomer game this season and the eighth of his career. ... The Reds put rookie RHP Mike Leake on the 15-day DL with a tired pitching shoulder, but expect him back next month. RHP Aaron Harang, sidelined since July 6 because of back spasms, is expected to start a game next week.
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