"It took 11 starts and a trip to the minors. But the Reds Opening Day starter finally pitched like an ace.

Edinson Volquez went seven innings and allowed one run on seven hits to beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 Tuesday before a crowd of 24,921 at Great American Ball Park on a hot, muggy night.

Volquez (4-2) walked two and struck out five. He did not allow a runner to advance to second after the second inning. He threw 105 pitches, 61 strikes. He was still hitting 96 mph in the sixth inning.

"He threw a great ballgame," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "He got in trouble that one inning but got out of it. His command was much better.

"He got deep in the ballgame. He was locating his fastball a lot better."

The win, the Reds' sixth in seven games against the Cubs, assured the team of a winning homestand. They are 5-3 going into today's finale.

The final score made this one look like a blowout but it was a 4-1 game until Miguel Cairo hit his second career grand slam to open it up in the eighth.

Cairo, one of the team's veterans, recognizes the boost an effective Volquez would be.

"That's a big one," Cairo said. "We really need him to get it going. … We've got a pretty good pitching staff. We need to start getting going. It's already June. The heat is here."

Volquez debuted his new look for the start. He buzzed his hair short, shredding the dreadlocks.

"It was too hot," he said. "I love my hair. I kept it."