CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Bronson Arroyo hasnt seen many good second halves in his seven seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, so the veteran right-hander is trying to enjoy this one as much as he can. Arroyo shook off a shaky start, Todd Frazier hit a two-run home run and Ryan Ludwick and Jay Bruce added solo shots as the Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3 in the opener of a four-game weekend series on Friday night. Cincinnati, coming off a loss to the New York Mets on Thursday that snapped a five-game winning streak, began the day leading the NL Central by six games and improved to a major league-best 25-9 since the All-Star break. "Usually, weve had big slides in the second half, and thats taken the wind out of our sails," Arroyo said. "This year, we feel like the balls always rolling in your direction." Manager Dusty Baker liked knowing the Reds would at least pick up ground on one of their two closest pursuers with second-place Pittsburgh playing at third-place St. Louis. "Any time you win, its good, but with the Pirates playing the Cardinals, you know youre going to pick up ground on somebody," he said. Arroyo (9-7) has been a big part of the surge, improving to 5-1 in his last six starts. He gave up nine hits and three runs with three walks, three strikeouts and a wild pitch in 6 1-3 innings. Jose Arredondo, Jonathan Broxton and Aroldis Chapman combined to pitch scoreless relief the rest of the way. The Reds had six extra-base hits in five innings against streaky former teammate Travis Wood (4-9), who has lost his last six decisions after winning four straight starts. Luis Valbuena led off the second with his fourth homer of the season and first since June 29 against Houston. His 418-foot fly into the right-centre field seats gave Chicago a 1-0 lead. The Reds tied it in the bottom of the inning when Frazier scored from second on Woods error as he tried to handle first baseman Anthony Rizzos throw on Ryan Hanigans grounder. Chicago capitalized on another Reds fielding misplay to take a 3-1 lead in the fourth. After Castro led off with a single and Valbuena flied out, Brett Jackson hit a line drive to second baseman Brandon Phillips that got away from him after he appeared to be distracted by the passing Castro. Castro went to third on what was ruled a single and scored on a wild pitch to Steve Clevenger, who then walked. Wood drove Jackson in from second with a single to centre for the pitchers first RBI of the season. The Reds then got five runs and six hits in the bottom half of the inning, starting with Ludwicks 23rd homer of the season, a 425-foot drive into the left field seats on Woods first pitch of the inning. Wood hit Bruce with a pitch, and Frazier gave the Reds a 4-3 lead by hitting a 2-2 pitch 419 feet into the left field seats for his 16th homer of the season. "I couldnt really tell you what was going on," Frazier said. "He throws that cutter a lot. I was sitting on it. That was a big five-run inning for us." Cincinnati added two runs with two outs on doubles by Arroyo and Zack Cozart and a triple by Drew Stubbs. "It didnt look good for a while, but we answered back when they scored," Baker said. "We were on (Wood) pretty good in that inning." Wood allowed more runs and hits in that inning than the five hits and one run he allowed in seven innings against Cincinnati last Sunday in Chicago. "The doors fell off," he said. "We took a game plan out there, and I didnt make adjustments soon enough." Fridays Wood obviously wasnt the same as last Sundays, Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "He probably spent everything he had in that last outing," Sveum said. "He velocity was down, and his pitches were flat. He went into a gunfight with a knife." Bruce hit Woods 0-1 pitch 411 feet into the right-field seats with one out in the fifth for his 25th homer of the season. The streaky Wood, traded with two other players by Cincinnati to Chicago for pitcher Sean Marshall during the off-season, lasted five innings, getting roughed up for nine hits and seven runs -- six earned -- with three strikeouts. NOTES: RHP Todd Redmond is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday to start the second game for the Reds in their split doubleheader against the Cubs. Redmond, acquired from Atlanta for INF Paul Janish on July 14, has been recalled three times by two teams this season, but hes still waiting to make his major league debut. ... The Cubs are expected to recall LHP Brooks Raley from Triple-A Iowa to face Redmond. ... Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan flipped the coin to determine who would serve first for Fridays Western & Southern Open tennis quarterfinal match between Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber in suburban Cincinnati. cheap jerseys china . Torrealba, who was designated for assignment on July 31, will become a free agent on Friday if he is not claimed off waivers. The 34-year-old Venezuelan backstop batted . wholesale jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.chinawholesalenflj... . Houston (13-8-10) remained one point ahead of Columbus for the fifth and the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Houston extended its home unbeaten streak to 23 games, with the last home loss coming June 18, 2011, against the Crew. [url=http://www.chinawholesalenfljerseyscheap.com/]cheap jerseys from china . Prust had a telephone hearing, his first in five NHL seasons, with NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan on Sunday to discuss the elbow he landed to the back of Volchenkovs helmet early in the second period of the Rangers 3-0 win on Saturday. nfl jerseys china . This week, Robin van Persie starts and shines for Manchester United as they earn their first win of the season, meanwhile the Swans show their teeth again and Chelsea is a perfect three-for-three. LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Usain Bolt was fast and impressive at the Athletissima Diamond League meeting on Thursday. Yohan Blake was fast and maybe even more impressive. Bolt, the Olympic champion and world record holder over 100 and 200 metres, timed 19.58 seconds in the fastest 200 ever run at the speedy Lausanne track. Yet he was almost overshadowed by Blake, his Jamaican friend and rival who 20 minutes earlier closed the gap between them in the all-time 100 rankings. Blake, a two-time Olympic silver medallist behind Bolt, clocked 9.69 to become the joint second-fastest man in history. "9.69 is a wonderful result," said Bolt, who ran that time when setting a then-world record at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "I knew he is going to push real hard tonight." Blake, fighting off a post-London Games cold, overcame a slight headwind to shave .06 off his previous best. He ran 9.75 to beat Bolt in the Jamaican Olympic trials in June and the same time again when his training partner finished in 9.63 to defend his Olympic title earlier this month. "I knew I was fast and my coach told me I could run faster," said Blake, who shares coach Glen Mills with Bolt. "Today I could finally prove it." Blake made a fast start and an impressive driving finish to equal the 9.69 run by Tyson Gay of the United States in 2009. Gay trailed in Blakes wake Thursday, placing second in 9.83. "I have been working for that. Now it all comes together," Blake said. "My performance proves it." Still, Bolts world record of 9.58 to win gold at the 2009 world championships is at a different level, and his fooling on the start line Thursday suggests he is at ease with Blakes challenge. After playing air guitar for the television cameras, Blake used the 1.4 metres per second of wind assistance to set an Athletissima record, 0.26 behind his gold medal-winning time in London. "This season has not always been great but Im thrilled with the way it is finishing," Bolt said. However, the season is unlikely to climax with another Bolt vs. Blake match. They are set to avoid each other in the final two Diamond League meets, at Zurich next Thursday and Brussels a week later. In the womens 100, Carmelita Jeter reversed the London placings with Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaiica in a photo finish with both timing 10.dddddddddddd86. The American silver medallist never led until attacking hard at the line, as Fraser-Pryce lost her lead by failing to make the dip she needed for victory. "Basically, it was an Olympic final," Jeter said. "It was an epic moment, but I thought I got to bring this home." Dawn Harper earned another United States victory in the 100 hurdles, and Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada confirmed his superiority in the mens 400, clocking 44.37 in a comfortable victory. One gold medallist who never got to race was 110 hurdles champion Aries Merritt, who was disqualified for a false start. That left another American, Olympic silver medallist Jason Richardson, to step up for the victory in 13.09. An exceptional mens high jump fought for attention with the mens sprints, and Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar equaled the seasons best leap of 2.39 metres to win. That mark was set by Ivan Ukhov of Russia, the Olympic champion, who placed second Thursday, two centimetres back. Barshim had finished in a three-way tie for third in London. Another bronze medallist , Robbie Grabarz, also cleared 2.37 -- matching the British record -- to place third. Valerie Adams of New Zealand, the only Olympic champion without a gold medal, won the shot put with a meet record in the final round of 20.95 metres -- 25 centimetres beyond her London performance. Adams must wait to receive her medal until original winner Nadzeya Astapchuk of Belarus, who tested positive for a steroid, completes an appeal against her disqualification by the International Olympic Committee. Other Olympic gold medallists winning womens field events Thursday were Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic in the javelin and triple jumper Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan. Brittney Reece of the United States was beaten into fifth in the long jump won by Russias Yelena Sokolova. Kaliese Spencer of Jamaica won the 400 hurdles, and Kenyans won the middle-distance events: Pamela Jelimo, the 2008 Beijing Olympic champion, won the 800 and Mercy Cherono took the 3,000 race. Paul Kipsiele Koech led a Kenyan sweep in the 3,000 steeplechase, and compatriot Silas Kiplagat won the mens 1,500. Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie of France won the pole vault on a countback as four men cleared 5.80 metres. ' ' '