Cincinnati won the opener of this series on Monday, 7-4 as Jonny Gomes hit his first homer in a month. The Reds only had one hit entering the sixth inning before rocking Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano. Homer Bailey improved to 7-0 with the win for Cincinnati and Reds starters are 8-0 with a 2.20 ERA during the surge. However, the bullpen will be missing a key piece for a while. Fireballing left-hander Aroldis Chapman was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday with shoulder discomfort. Chapman, who regularly tops 100 mph, has 20 walks and 15 strikeouts in 13 innings and a 6.92 ERA over 16 games. During Sunday's 9-7 Reds win over the Cardinals, he entered with a seven-run lead in the top of the ninth. Chapman proceeded to walk four of the five batters he faced, which led to a five-run rally. Of the 23 pitches Chapman threw in the game, only five were strikes.

The Cubs, meanwhile, fell a season-low five games under. 500 with Monday’s loss. Manager Mike Quade held a closed-door meeting after the game, venting his frustration over what he called an embarrassing performance all-around. A rare bright spot has been rookie Darwin Barney. He had three hits Monday, leaving him 8 for 12 in his last three games. His .345 average leads all major league rookies.

One rare Reds starter who has been struggling a bit gets the call tonight. Edinson Volquez (3-1, 5.74) has struggled to locate his pitches in his past two outings, lasting just four and five innings, respectively. The Cubs go with Matt Garza (2-4, 4.17). He beat the Cards by allowing them to one run over five innings in his last outing. He leads the NL in strikeouts per nine innings. He lost to the Reds on May 6 at Wrigley Field, giving up five runs on six hits.

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