Reds rip Cubs with 7 homers

Cubs at home? Check, they had the best home record in the major leagues.

Wind blowing out at Wrigley Field? Check, Cubs were 9-2 and had out-homered the opposition 20-13 and outscored them 81-55.

Ted Lilly on the mound? Check, he hadn't lost at home since April 17.

Well, check out the final score with Lilly pitching and the wind blowing out Thursday: Cincinnati 12, Cubs 7.

In losing for only the third time in the last 20 games at home, the Cubs were out-homered 7-1 by Dusty Baker's crew, which salvaged the last of a three-game series and left the Cubs' lead over the second-place Brewers at four games.

"Hey, we're human," Aramis Ramirez said of the home loss.

"We're not going to win every game," Derrek Lee said. "We'll take winning series every time."

Only one series remains before the All-Star break, that one against the Giants, who actually have a better road winning percentage than the Cubs do. But they also have the fewest homers in the National League, so there should be no repeat of the Reds bleacher-bombing display that included David Ross second and third homers of the entire season.

"They hit better than us," Lee said.

Boy, did they ever. Second from the bottom in National League hits coming in, the Reds pounded Lilly and four relievers for 18.

Lilly, trying to give the Cubs the only trio of 10-game winners in the majors, instead lasted only 22/3 innings in his shortest outing of the season. While allowing four runs on six hits, Lilly lost for the first since June 4 and only the second since April 27.

"I didn't have my best stuff but part of the challenge is finding how to do it without your best stuff," Lilly said. "I don't think the wind was blowing out that hard.

"The bottom line is I'm trying to give up fewer runs than the other pitcher. We scored seven [runs] and if I can just hang in there, I think we win that game."

But Lilly allowed an Edwin Encarnacion homer in the second, then another to Brandon Phillips in a three-run third inning.

Reliever Michael Wuertz watched Ken Griffey Jr. belt a three-run shot in the fourth. Then Jon Lieber gave up one to Ross leading off the fifth and one to Adam Dunn in the sixth. Chad Gaudin allowed another one to Ross leading off the seventh and Neil Cotts gave up the last one to Joey Votto leading off the ninth. Dunn's was his 24th of the season and became the fourth ball this season hit onto Sheffield Avenue.

"I didn't even count 'em," manager Lou Piniella said, "but I know Dunn's counted for two."

The Cubs' offense hit only one all day, with Mike Fontenot's looper barely making the basket in right field to the delight of the 41,459 fans who sat through middle portions of the game in rain.

Fontenot and Theriot each had a pair of RBIs and Lee collected the other. Kosuke Fukudome went 0-for-5 and struck out three times for only the third time this season. In the last 12 games, he is hitting .170.

"It looks to me like he's swinging awfully tired," Piniella said.

Would Piniella rather see Fukudome, in his first major-league season, take next week off instead of playing in the All-Star game?

"No, he deserves to go to the All-Star game," the manager said. "He's not going to play the entire game. It will be a wonderful experience for him. Then he'll have Wednesday and Thursday off."

Lilly (9-6) will have the entire week to think about Thursday's loss, not starting again until next Friday in Houston.

"It's going to be nice [to have a breather], but, believe me, I'm looking forward to the second half," he said.

dvandyck@tribune.com

Related topic galleries: Major League Baseball, Aramis Ramirez, Jon Lieber, Ted Lilly, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Mike Fontenot

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