Reds 6, Cubs 5: Jay Bruce drove in a pair of runs and Joey Votto scored twice as visiting Cincinnati held off a late charge from Chicago to take the series opener.

The Cubs made things interesting in the ninth inning with three runs off Aroldis Chapman but could not push across the tying run. Scott Hairston drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs and Welington Castillo followed with a two-run single before Cody Ransom walked, but J.J. Hoover came on and struck out Darwin Barney to earn his first save.

Todd Frazier and Devin Mesoraco each doubled in a run and Shin-Soo Choo and Zack Cozart added an RBI single apiece for the Reds, who stopped a two-game slide and improved to 4-10 on the road. Mike Leake (2-1) scattered two runs and nine hits over 5 2/3 innings to pick up the win.

Alfonso Soriano and Nate Schierholtz each drove in a run but Chicago left 12 runners on base. Carlos Villanueva (1-1) was charged with four runs and seven hits in a season-low 5 2/3 innings to absorb the loss.

Cincinnati grabbed single runs in the first and second and made it a 4-0 gap with two in the sixth. The Cubs chopped the deficit in half with a pair in the bottom of the sixth but the Reds got those back with single runs in the seventh and eighth.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cincinnati’s team website auctioned off a ball with Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija’s blood on it from an April 24 start at Great American Ball Park. The ball fetched $130.01 in the auction that ended on Friday morning. … Reds RH Johnny Cueto (strained right lat) had his scheduled Friday night rehab start pushed back after a checkup revealed some soreness in his right oblique. … Chicago activated 3B Ian Stewart (quad) from the 15-day DL and sent him to Triple-A Iowa.