Wednesday as a pinch hitter, got his first major league start in left field, but manager Dusty Baker said, "He won't get many more because we're playing mostly contenders the rest of the way." Nineteen of the Reds' final 23 games are against teams still in contention.

--RHP Bronson Arroyo, 9-3 since giving up 11 runs in one inning against the Blue Jays, gets a home start against the Cubs on Friday, a team he already has beaten twice in two starts this year, both at Wrigley Field. The last time, he gave up one run and three hits over seven innings.

--1B Joey Votto leads all major league rookies with 17 games of three or more hits, two more than the Royals' Mike Aviles.

--RHP Ramon Ramirez replaced RHP Jason Fogg in the fourth inning, and when Ramirez batted in the bottom of the fourth, he singled for his first major league hit.

BY THE NUMBERS: 24 -- Home runs by 3B Edwin Encarnacion, a career-high, to go along with 21 errors, four shy of his career-high.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I said in spring training that 3B Edwin Encarnacion was my pick to have a big season, his best, and he is doing that in the home run category." -- Manager Dusty Baker, on Encarnacion's career-best 24 home runs, but he's hitting only .252 and has only 57 RBIs.