CINCINNATI—Johnny Cueto knows how to prepare for day games, and his routine is working out quite well for him.Cueto pitched eight crisp innings, Todd Frazier hit a go-ahead homer for the second straight game and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 5-3 on Saturday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.Brett Jackson hit his first career home run to help Brooks Raley earn his first major league win, leading the Cubs to a 9-7 victory over the Reds and a split by taking the night cap.Starlin Castro had three hits and two RBIs as the Cubs rebounded after losing the first two in the four-game weekend series. David DeJesus added his fifth home run of the season in the ninth.
Xavier Paul and Miguel Cairo added their first home runs of the season as the Reds roughed up another Chicago starting pitcher for three home runs. They hit three off Travis Wood in a 7-3 win on Friday night and three more off Jeff Samardzija.Cueto (16-6) settled down after allowing Alfonso Soriano’s two-run homer in the first. The right-hander gave up three hits and struck out eight, drawing a standing ovation when he walked off the mound for the last time. He also hit David DeJesus, the first batter of the game.Cueto, who didn’t allow a runner past first base after the first inning and retired 19 of the last 20 batters he faced, is the first Cincinnati pitcher since Danny Jackson in 1988 to win 16 of his first 25 starts. He has won seven of his last eight appearances to move into a tie with Tampa Bay’s David Price for the major-league lead in wins.
“He was dealing,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He has to be a serious candidate for the Cy Young Award. We don’t talk about it, but that has to be in the back of his mind.”
“I’ve got to keep working,” Cueto said. “There’s a lot of baseball to go before I can think about that.”
Dale Sveum watched Cueto dominate Chicago for the second time in six days. He also pitched eight innings in the Reds’ 3-0 win at Wrigley Field last Sunday.
“He did everything,” Sveum said. “His off-speed stuff was good. He worked inside.”
Aroldis Chapman allowed two hits, a walk and a run — his first in 24 appearances — but held on for his 29th save.
The first-place Reds (73-47) began the day with a six-game lead over Pittsburgh and an eight-game advantage over St. Louis in the NL Central.
Frazier also drove in Jay Bruce with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. He went 2 for 3 and is batting .600 (15 for 25) with three homers and 11 RBI in 10 games against the Cubs this season.Soriano drove a 3-2 pitch 433 feet into the second deck in left field with two outs in the first inning for his 22nd homer. The two RBI gave Soriano 1,000 for his career.The Reds responded in the second. Frazier led off with a single up the middle and Paul followed with a 381-foot line drive into the right-field seats on a 2-0 pitch.Frazier led off the fourth with a drive to the first row of the second deck in left for his 17th homer and third in four games. He also had a two-run shot Friday night that gave the Reds a 4-3 lead.Cairo added a one-out shot to left on a 1-2 pitch for his first homer since Sept. 21 against Houston, making it 4-2.Samardzija (8-11) gave up four runs and six hits in five innings. He struck out five, walked none, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch.The right-hander is 1-3 with a 4.07 ERA in four starts this month.Raley (1-2) gave up four runs, three earned, and five hits in 5 1-3 innings in the night cap.Ryan Ludwick went deep twice and drove in three runs for the Reds, who had won seven of eight. It was Ludwick’s fourth multihomer game of the season and leaves him tied with Jay Bruce for the team lead with 25 homers on the year.The Cubs jumped all over Todd Redmond (0-1) in the nightcap. Redmond (0-1) gave up four runs and seven hits in 3 1-3 innings in his major league debut. He struck out two and walked five.Redmond was the sixth pitcher to start for Cincinnati this season. The Reds used the same five starters for the first 120 games, a modern franchise record and a key reason for their surge to the top of the NL Central.
Jackson sparked the Cubs’ 13-hit attack with a drive into visitors’ bullpen down the right-field line on a 1-1 pitch in the second, making it 1-0.The Cubs built an 8-2 lead, then held on as the Reds battered its beleaguered bullpen. Carlos Marmol worked the ninth for his 15th save in 17 chances.The Reds came out of the doubleheader with a 6 1/2-game lead over second-place Pittsburgh.Cueto (16-6) gave up two runs and three hits, drawing a standing ovation when he walked off the mound for the last time. He also hit David DeJesus, the first batter of the game.Cueto, who didn’t allow a runner past first base after the first inning and retired 19 of the last 20 batters he faced, is the first Cincinnati pitcher since Danny Jackson in 1988 to win 16 of his first 25 starts. He has won seven of his last eight appearances to move into a tie with Tampa Bay’s David Price for the major league lead in wins.Aroldis Chapman allowed two hits, a walk and a run – his first in 24 appearances – but held on for his 29th save.Cubs slugger Alfonso Soriano drove a 3-2 pitch 433 feet into the second deck in left field with two outs in the first inning for his 22nd homer. The two RBIs gave Soriano 1,000 for his career.Jeff Samardzija (8-11) gave up four runs and six hits in five innings. He struck out five, walked none, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch.The right-hander is 1-3 with a 4.07 ERA in four starts this month.

NOTES—The Cubs are working on a new contract for SS Starlin Castro, but Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations, said nothing has been finalized yet….Both teams recalled pitchers from their Triple-A affiliates to start the second game of the doubleheader. The Cubs promoted LHP Brooks Raley from Iowa, while the Reds recalled RHP Todd Redmond from Louisville for his major league debut….Neither team was required to send anybody out to make room. Major League Baseball rules allow teams to add a 26th player to their active roster for doubleheaders such as Saturday’s, which was scheduled after a May 1 postponement….Soriano joined Barry Bonds, Andre Dawson, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield as the only major-league players with at least 1,000 RBI, 400 doubles, 350 home runs and 250 stolen bases in their careers.