CHICAGO -- Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price remembers what it was like to beat up on the Chicago Cubs.Its a much different picture right now.Robert Stephenson was knocked out in the fourth inning and the Reds lost 9-2 to the Cubs on Wednesday night, completing a series sweep.I just couldnt get into a rhythm today, Stephenson said. Obviously, Ive been working on my mechanics, trying to make some tweaks here and there. I feel like in my bullpens my mechanics feel locked in. But then I get into a game and things just dont go my way.The last-place Reds (63-89) lost for the seventh time in eight games. They managed just five runs and 19 hits in the three-game series.Cincinnati went 37-17 against Chicago from 2012-14, winning the season series each year. But the Cubs went 13-6 against the Reds last year and have won 13 of 16 against them so far this season.Turnabout is fair play. Thats what we used to do to the Cubs, Price said. We used to go out there and roll them. Come in here and sweep a series. It was fairly common, at least winning two out of three. And theyve had our number the last couple of years. Thats the back and forth of the game.Kris Bryant hit his 38th homer and Dexter Fowler also connected as major league-leading Chicago moved a season-high 42 games over .500. The Cubs (97-55) also matched their win total from a year ago and lowered their magic number for clinching home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs to two over Washington.John Lackey (10-8) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings in his first win since he beat the Angels on Aug. 9. The right-hander retired his last 14 batters and finished with just 87 pitches.I definitely felt like I got better as the game went along, Lackey said.Stephenson (2-2) was pulled with two out in the fourth and remains winless in four September starts. The rookie right-hander was charged with four runs and a career-high eight hits.Theres room for all his pitches to get better, Price said. Hes 23 years old. We certainly like the canvass we have to work with with Robert. Hes getting a lesson on what works and what doesnt work.Jose Peraza hit a tying RBI single in Cincinnatis two-run second, but Chicago pulled away from there. Miguel Montero hit an RBI single in the third and a two-run single with two out in the sixth. The veteran catcher also scored on Michael Lorenzens balk in the fifth.Bryant capped the scoring with a two-run shot to left in the seventh. It was Bryants 10th homer of the year against Cincinnati, tied for the second most for a single season against the Reds.WORTH NOTINGPeraza went 2 for 4 and is batting .357 (30 for 84) in his last 22 games. ... The Reds were swept for the 11th time this season. ... Joey Votto went 1 for 4 with a double. He is batting .340 (18 for 53) in 16 games against the Cubs this year.TRAINERS ROOMReds: Price said RHP Homer Bailey (biceps) could start Sunday at Milwaukee after there were no negatives following his Tuesday bullpen session. Hes looked very good to me, Price said. I think if hes 100 percent Id like to see him pitch. If Bailey cant go, Price said LHP Brandon Finnegan or RHP Tim Adleman would start.Cubs: LHP Jon Lester said he was fine a day after he had a liner go off his right wrist in the sixth inning of Chicagos 6-1 victory on Tuesday night.UP NEXTReds: Following a day off, the Reds begin a weekend series at Milwaukee. Cincinnati RHP Anthony DeSclafani (8-4, 3.15 ERA) gets the ball on Friday night.Cubs: RHP Jake Arrieta (17-7, 2.96 ERA) faces St. Louis RHP Mike Leake (9-10, 4.54 ERA) on Friday afternoon. Manager Joe Maddon said he plans to play the weekend series straight up out of respect for the Cardinals competition in the wild-card race.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenapCustom Nellie Fox Jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Custom White Sox T-shirts . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. http://www.customwhitesoxjersey.com/ .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. Nellie Fox Jersey Large . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Wholesale Custom White Sox Shirts . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said.India Blue 200 for 5 (Agarwal 92, Gambhir 77, Kuldeep 4-49) v India RedScorecard and ball-by-ball details After two-thirds of play was rendered impossible by the weather for the second day in succession, Kuldeep Yadav ate into India Blues gains with a four-wicket burst late in the night. India Blue went from 188 for 1 to 200 for 5 in four overs, as Kuldeep unleashed a rash of googlies that bored into India Blues batting core.Should Mayank Agarwal nurse heartaches over his dismissal, it wouldnt be out of place: he ventured an inexplicable slog to be stumped after coming within a whisker of his second first-class hundred. The dismissal proved to be costlier than he might have anticipated on a day India Blue had to negotiate a mere 27.4 overs.From the outset, this was a curious day where little of the expected unfolded. With rain in the air, and after the pitch had sweated under the covers for over 24 hours - the grass on the pitch appeared markedly lusher - it was thought the ball would move around crazily. On the evidence of the first few overs, it also seemed that India Reds wretched luck would continue - they had handed India Blue captain Gautam Gambhir and Agarwal a reprieve each on Monday, and were still atoning for them.The second ball of the day, from left-arm seamer Pradeep Sangwan, caught Gambhirs outside edge and flew just wide of second slip. On the first ball of the next over, Ishwar Pandey struck Agarwal, who shouldered arms with pad thrust forward, on the back leg, but umpire Virender Sharma made a brave not-out call.Meanwhile, Gambhir continued to slash, steer and edge boundaries behind square. India Red captain Yuvraj Singh even installed an extra slip, but hee never came into play.dddddddddddd India Blue had scored 40 runs in the first 10.4 overs, and there was neither any mad swing nor significant seam movement.The first spark of action was provided by Nathu Singh, who was evidently quicker than Sangwan and Pandey. He decided to take the pitch and the atmosphere out of the equation, and beat Gambhir with sheer pace: the ball whooshed off a length and crashed into Gambhirs pad before his bat came around it. While Nathu was looking to blast the batsmen out, in came Kuldeep with his wristy, drifting offerings. After a quiet period, three deliveries changed the course of India Blues innings.Agarwal charged out to biff the first ball of the 56th over on the full for a six over the bowlers head. The next ball was flatter and skidded past the batsmans attempted cut, before Kuldeep offered a loopy googly. Agarwal dashed out again for a slog across the line, but this time the ball dipped and swerved past him for Srikar Bharat to complete a stumping. The Kuldeep-Bharat combine came together again in the bowlers next over when Suryakumar Yadav was stumped in an attempted flick. Next ball, nightwatchman Karn Sharma was walking back after being trapped lbw, again by a googly.B Aparajith was, in contrast, untroubled by Kuldeeps googlies, but edged a drive to gully, where Nitish Rana snapped up a smart, low catch, only two overs later. Till about half an hour earlier, India Red were probably bracing for a long haul in the field. But, like in the first game, it took Kuldeep only a few minutes to make a difference. ' ' '