By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Tuesday's game

The Reds have come from further behind. They've won with solo home runs. They've won with two-run shots.

But Tuesday's 2-1, 10-inning walk-off win - the club's ninth of the year - was the sweetest by one measure: It came against the Chicago Cubs, the team the Reds are chasing in the National League Central Division.

"Any time you play the Cubs and they're in first place, it matters," Sean Casey said. "We had to have this one."

Casey got it for the Reds with a two-out double into the gap that sent Wily Mo Pena home with the winning run at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday.

The Reds' signature celebration hop took place at second base, where Casey was when Pena scored.

Aaron Boone started it by leaping into Casey's arms.

"I was so happy then, I could have carried a truck," Casey said.

The hit was the difference between being three or five games behind the Cubs. And it ended a four-game Cubs winning streak against the Reds.

"We lost a tough one 4-3 (Monday night)," Casey said. "To beat a guy like (Carlos) Zambrano, or win a game he started, is huge."

Casey becomes the first Red to drive in the winning run twice in walk-off wins. He hit the RBI single in the 9-8 victory over Toronto on June 7.

Tuesday's win was the Reds' 18th in their final at-bat. That stat leads the major leagues.

"It's been incredible," Barry Larkin said. "Hopefully it's becoming a pattern, and it's something other teams think about. You want that in the back of their minds."

Casey's hit was only the Reds' fifth of the night. The Cubs had seven. Pinch hitter Russell Branyan supplied the opening the Reds needed with a walk off former Red Mike Remlinger to start the 10th.

"That was huge," Reds manager Bob Boone said. "Remlinger's really tough. He nibbles around the strike zone with good stuff."

Pena ran for Branyan. Barry Larkin advanced Pena to second base with a sacrifice bunt.

The Cubs decided not to walk Jose Guillen with first base open. Instead, they brought in Todd Wellemeyer to pitch. Guillen lined a rope that right fielder Tom Goodwin made a nice running catch on.

That brought up Casey. First base was still open.

"We had a decision in the 10th," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "Do we face Casey, who you know is going to make contact? Or do you face (Austin) Kearns, who is one of the RBI leaders in the league?

"We had the choice between a dagger and a sword. The dagger got us."

Chicago starter Zambrano had struck out Casey the first three times up. His fourth time up, he hit one to the warning track in center.

"I was wondering if I was going to hit one fair off Zambrano," Casey said. "I've never had a night like that. Then I just missed in the eighth."

Casey's game-ender was a rope to the wall the opposite way.

Reds starter Ryan Dempster delivered Tuesday. He went seven innings, allowing one run on six hits. He struck out seven.

Zambrano led off the fifth with a double. Dempster got the next two hitters out before Corey Patterson doubled to make it 1-0.

Juan Castro doubled with one out in the fifth. An out later, Larkin got Castro home with a single to center to tie it 1-1.

"When it's close in the ninth or 10th, we feel like we're going to find a way to win it," Casey said. "I was glad to get another chance."

Chicago	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Goodwin rf	5	0	0	0	0	1	.208
Grudzielanek 2b	5	0	1	0	0	2	.281
CPatterson cf	5	0	1	1	0	1	.314
Alou lf	4	0	2	0	1	0	.303
Karros 1b	5	0	0	0	0	1	.290
Wellemeyer p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Bellhorn 3b	3	0	0	0	1	1	.206
ASGonzalez ss	3	0	1	0	1	0	.255
DMiller c	3	0	1	0	0	1	.228
Zambrano p	2	1	1	0	1	1	.200
LHarris ph	0	0	0	0	1	0	.170
Remlinger p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
REMartinez 1b	0	0	0	0	0	0	.276
Totals	35	1	7	1	5	8

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Larkin ss	4	0	1	1	0	1	.254
JGuillen rf	3	0	0	0	1	0	.333
Casey 1b	5	0	1	1	0	3	.287
Kearns cf	3	0	1	0	1	0	.295
ABoone 3b	4	0	1	0	0	0	.283
Dunn lf	2	0	0	0	2	2	.202
LaRue c	4	0	0	0	0	1	.249
JCastro 2b	4	1	1	0	0	0	.253
Dempster p	2	0	0	0	0	1	.050
Taylor ph	1	0	0	0	0	1	.219
GWhite p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Williamson p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Branyan ph	0	0	0	0	1	0	.150
WPena pr	0	1	0	0	0	0	.094
Totals	32	2	5	2	5	9

Chicago	000	010	000	0	-1	7	0
Cincinnati	000	010	000	1	-2	5	1

E-Casey (4). LOB-Chicago 10, Cincinnati 8. 2B-CPatterson (15), ASGonzalez (21), DMiller (8), Zambrano (3), Casey (10), ABoone (14), JCastro (7). RBIs-CPatterson (49), Larkin (6), Casey (32). CS-Bellhorn (3). S-DMiller, Larkin. GIDP-LaRue. DP-Chicago 1, Cincinnati 1

Chicago	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Zambrano	8	4	1	1	4	7	109	3.11
Remlinger L, 4-1	1 1/3	0	1	1	1	2	27	3.60
Wellemeyer	1/3	1	0	0	0	0	7	1.38

Cincinnati	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Dempster	7	6	1	1	2	7	114	6.50
GWhite	1	1	0	0	0	0	11	3.82
Williamson W, 4-2	2	0	0	0	3	1	28	2.79

T-2:50. A-28,999 (42,263).