Jason LaRue is greeted in the dugout after his second HR. | ZOOM |

        CHICAGO — Despite Saturday's unusually early starting time of 12:15p.m. CDT, Jason LaRue found enough room in his morning to receive a pregame tutorial from hitting coach Denis Menke in the cage under Wrigley Field's bleachers.

        The sight of LaRue and Menke disappearing through a door in Wrigley's famous ivy-covered wall wasn't exactly a scene from Field of Dreams, but for the Reds, the results were dramatic.

        LaRue homered in the second and ninth innings to improve his status and help Cincinnati defeat the Chicago Cubs 3-0. Dubbed the Reds' catcher of the future, LaRue has been a present mainstay, starting five games in a row and six of the last seven, while Eddie Taubensee recovers from a bulging disk in his lower back.

        LaRue, 26, appreciates his frequent activity.

        “I'm able to prepare myself for the next day after tonight's game,” he said. “It's a lot easier when you know you're going to be in the lineup than when you come to the park and say, "Oh, I don't know if I'm going to play.'”

        The Reds knew LaRue could be a defensive asset. They posted a 17-10 record in his starts last year; this season, they're 4-2 with an ERA of close to 3.50 while he's behind the plate.

        But LaRue struggled at the plate after being recalled from Triple-A Louisville on Aug.1, going hitless in his first nine at-bats. He was batting only .125 (2-for-16) before Saturday.

        This didn't concern manager Jack McKeon, who values LaRue's ability to handle pitchers.

        “We're not worried much about his hitting,” McKeon said. “But it's nice for him to get a confidence boost right now.”Though LaRue said defense has been his top priority, his history indicated he would not accept struggling at the plate. His minor-league resume includes a .315 season at Single-A Charleston in 1997 and a .365 outburst at Double-A Chattanooga in 1998.

        LaRue's desire to excel has prompted him to work with Menke each day since his promotion. Menke noticed LaRue wasn't accelerating his bat quickly enough from his shoulder to the hitting zone.

        “We're trying to keep his swing short,” Menke said. “When he came up, he was way too long. Big-time. I asked him where he got that swing.”

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