By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cubs starting pitcher Shawn Estes delivers against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning in Chicago Tuesday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

CHICAGO - Shawn Estes was a Red last summer, although his 21/2-month tenure was wholly forgettable.

He arrived just in time to witness and help in the team's mid-August collapse. He went 1-3 with a 7.71 ERA in six starts before being banished in mid-September to the bullpen, where he basically sat out the rest of the season.

Tuesday, the Reds were reminded why they traded four minor-leaguers to the New York Mets for Estes, a 30-year-old left-hander, in the first place: When he's on, he's very good.

He definitely was on Tuesday in the Chicago Cubs' 11-1 victory over the Reds. Estes went eight innings, allowing one run on five hits. He walked one and struck out four.

"He was pretty good," Reds manager Bob Boone said. "We all know what he is when he has his good stuff.

"We had some hitters' counts and guys missed. Then he started dropping his curveball, and it was there."

Estes took a no-hitter to the sixth inning before Kelly Stinnett doubled to straightaway center field.

The Reds lit up Estes for eight runs in four innings April 4, and he came into Tuesday 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA.

The Reds let him walk over the winter, but he took no special satisfaction in Tuesday's win. He ended up signing a one-year, $3 million deal with the Cubs, and he can earn up to $1.5 million in incentives.

"It was only satisfying because they're in our division and we have to beat them," he said. "I did go out there with an attitude that we had a bad ballgame (Monday's 11-3 loss) and I was going to put an end to it."

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E-mail jfay@enquirer.com