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  Wednesday, Sep. 13 7:05pm ET
Santiago, Ochoa collect 4 hits apiece
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Rob Bell is just trying to keep his job.

Dumped from the starting rotation after failing to complete the second inning a week ago, the rookie pitched his first complete game Wednesday night as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 13-3.

"I'm just pitching for an invite to spring training at this point," Bell said.

Benito Santiago and Alex Ochoa had four hits apiece as the Reds made Bell's life easier with 16 hits.

"I was frustrated yesterday not getting the ball. It hurt to be bumped," Bell said.

Osvaldo Fernandez got the start instead of Bell on Tuesday, but Bell got another chance when Scott Williamson had to be scratched from the rotation with two broken toes. After giving up a run in each of the first two innings, Bell shut out Chicago until the eighth.

"I think the first two innings the energy was there that I was pitching for something," Bell said. "I said to a couple of guys, 'I feel nervous, like I'm pitching for a job here.' "

Santiago, who had a two-run homer and four RBI, said Bell settled down at that point.

"Once he got the lead, he calmed down and relaxed," Santiago said. "His changeup was very effective, and his breaking ball was going good once he loosened up instead of trying to do too much."

Bell (7-7) allowed six hits, walked three and struck out six. In his last outing, against the New York Mets, Bell walked four and gave up five runs in 1 1/3 innings.

"He had a shaky first, but he settled down and got command of the situation," said Reds manager Jack McKeon. "He pitched a very good ballgame."

The Reds batted around in the third, scoring four runs, to chase Jamie Arnold (0-3), who allowed five runs on seven hits and a walk in 2 2/3 innings.

Arnold, who was called up from Triple-A Iowa on Aug. 14, appeared to be on the verge of suffering the same fate as Bell did a week ago.

"He's had the opportunity," Cubs manager Don Baylor said. "If guys don't take advantage of it, you go to the next guy."

Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the first when Eric Young walked, stole second, advanced to third on Ricky Gutierrez' sacrifice bunt and scored on Sammy Sosa's double to left field.

Shane Andrews led off the second with his 11th homer, his first since May 11 after being on the disabled list more than three months with a herniated disk that required surgery.

"Then a two-nothing lead turns into a fiasco," Baylor said.

Santiago doubled in a run in the second to make it 2-1.

Cincinnati scored four in the third on single by Sean Casey, a double by Dmitri Young, a single by Ochoa and Chris Stynes' sacrifice fly.

Pokey Reese scored on Casey's sacrifice fly in the fourth, and the Reds added three in the fifth on a single by Santiago, Juan Castro's ground out and a single by Michael Tucker.

Ochoa got his fourth single in the sixth and Stynes homered, his eighth, off Steve Rain. Santiago got his fourth hit, a two-run sixth homer, in the eighth off Felix Heredia.

Game notes
Eric Young notched his 52nd stolen base of the season and 26th in a row since he was last thrown out. That left him one shy of his career high with Colorado in 1996. ... Sosa was 2-for-3, including an infield hit, but hasn't homered since Monday. He has a major-league high 49 homers and needs just one to join Babe Ruth and Mark McGwire as the only players with more than two 50-homer seasons. ... Cincinnati runners stole four bases for the third time this season. ... The Reds' team physician will watch Williamson throw on the side Friday to see if he can return to the rotation next week. Williamson banged into a door in his home Monday night and broke two toes on his right foot.
 


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