Ryan Dempster helped the Cubs end their longest skid of the 2011 campaign with a 4-1 win over the Reds in Cincinnati.  Dempster worked 6 solid innings of 1-run ball to even his record at 5-5.  Dempster worked out of tough jams in the 1st and 3rd innings, limiting the Reds to just a single run despite excellent scoring chances.  Dempster gave up just 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8.

The Cubs bullpen finally delivered in a pressure-packed situation.  Kerry Wood notched hold #9 despite a 2-out triple in a scoreless 7th inning.

Sean Marshall struck out 2 in his perfect 8th inning – his 12th hold of the season.

And Carlos Marmol notched save #11 with a perfect 9th inning.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief as Marmol closed the door on the Cubs 1st win in 9 days.

Carlos Pena gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead with a 2-run bomb to deep right field in the 4th inning.  On the next pitch, Aramis Ramirez increased the Cubs lead to 3-1 with only his 3rd homer of the season.  And Kosuke Fukudome scored an insurance run on a balk in the 7th inning that gave the bullpen some room to work with.

The Cubs “improved” to 24-36 and they trail the Cards by 11.5 games in the NL Central race.