Juan Encarnacion and Cubs catcher Robert Machado watch Encarnacion's RBI double in the first inning. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        CHICAGO — Juan Encarnacion didn't have a big explanation for his huge hit Saturday.

        “It was an outside pitch,” he said. “I tried to hit it to right field. The bat hit the ball.”

        The ball, coming out of the hand of Chicago's Kerry Wood, was traveling 90-plus mph at the point of impact. So Encarnacion's half-swing sent it on line past first baseman Fred McGriff into right field.

        The three-run double came in the first inning, but it was the key to the Reds' 6-1 victory over the Cubs on a frigid (wind chill in the 10s) day at Wrigley Field.

        Starter Elmer Dessens (1-3) more than made the runs stand up. He threw 7 1/3 innings of six-hit, shutout ball. It was the longest outing of the year by a Reds starter.

        “Wow, he was great,” Reds manager Bob Boone said. “That's two in a row for Elmer. He only gave up the three unearned runs in his last start.”

Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood walks toward the dugout after being relieved in the fifth inning. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Dessens has only one earned run in his last 20 1/3 innings. But with Wood on the mound, there was a chance he would have another hard-luck start.

        Barry Larkin opened the game with a single. Wilton Guerrero, the Reds' best bunter, showed his skill with a good one. Wood fielded it, but he took a look at second. That was enough for Guerrero to beat it out for a hit.

        Cubs left fielder Roosevelt Brown then dropped Sean Casey's fly ball. He nearly got Larkin at third, but instead the bases were loaded with no outs.

        But Adam Dunn followed with a broken-bat fly to shallow right, so shallow Larkin couldn't tag up. Aaron Boone then took a third strike.

        It seemed the inning might end harmlessly. But Encarnacion lined the shot into right field, clearing the bases, and the Reds had a three-run lead.

        Wood came into the game 6-0 with a 1.34 ERA against the Reds in seven starts, so if he had escaped the first, the Reds might not have had many more chances against him.

Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez puts the tag on Wilton Guerrero at second on an attempted steal. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Dessens might not have known how to act with the 3-0 lead — that was one more run than the Reds scored in his last two starts combined. But he went out and put up zeros.

        “I was feeling really good,” he said. “I threw a lot of first-pitch strikes. I was feeling confident.”

        Of the 26 batters he faced, he started 20 with strikes.

        From the second through the fifth innings, Dessens faced only one batter over the minimum. He walked just one, and all six hits he allowed were singles.

        The Cubs didn't get a runner to second until the seventh inning. By then the Reds were up 6-0, thanks largely to Encarnacion.

        The Reds loaded the bases with two outs. Encarnacion worked the count full, then fouled off five fastballs before taking a slider for a ball to force in a run.

        “That was their best at-bat of the day,” Wood said.

        “I've been tickled with Juan's approach all year,” Boone said. “He gives you good at-bats.”

        The walk was big because the next batter, Reggie Taylor, hit a soft grounder to Delino DeShields at second base. DeShields fielded it cleanly, but the speedy Taylor beat his lob throw for an infield single — a two-run infield single.

        “I fought off the pitch,” Taylor said. “I knew it was a slow roller. I was just trying to get there.”

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