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CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Left-hander Travis Wood has pitched well enough to beat his former team a few times, only to see the Cubs offence let him down. Didnt need any help this time. Wood beat Cincinnati for the first time in his career, repeatedly pitching out of threats for seven innings, and Chicago stalled the Reds week-long surge with a 2-0 victory Monday night. Wood (9-11) finally beat the team that traded him after the 2011 season. He was 0-4 in his career, including three losses this season, even though he had pitched well in most of the games. He allowed six hits and fanned seven. Finally, he got them. "Its the first time Ive ever beaten them. Thats really nice," Wood said. "Ive pitched some good games against them, and theyve gotten me a few times, too, so this one was nice." Kevin Gregg gave up a double in the ninth while earning his 31st save in 35 chances. Ryan Sweeney and Luis Valbuena homered off Bronson Arroyo (13-11), who had won his last four starts against the Cubs. The Reds were coming off a refreshing week -- six wins in seven games against the rival Cardinals and the NL West-leading Dodgers, leaving Cincinnati only 1 1/2 games out in the NL Central. And with St. Louis idle Monday, the Reds had a chance to gain a half-game on first place. Cincinnati hasnt been within a game of first place since May 25. The Reds have won a lot of close games and made up a lot of ground since falling a season-high 7 games out on Aug. 8. Facing a team they have dominated, they wasted a chance to move closer. "We had a good run against the Cardinals and the Dodgers," Arroyo said. "It would have been nice to continue it tonight, but thats what good pitching does." Cincinnati is 13-4 against the Cubs this season. Overall, Cincinnati has won 12 of its last 15 and 22 of its last 27 against Chicago. The last-place Cubs started their longest trip since the 2004 season, 11 games in 11 days. They also go to Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. Sweeney hit his sixth homer in the second inning and Valbuena hit his 11th in the third. Valbuenas homer left him 6 for 12 career against Arroyo with two homers -- one of the few Chicago hitters with good results against the right-hander. Arroyo allowed seven hits over seven innings, striking out six. Wood was traded to the Cubs for left-handed reliever Sean Marshall after the 2011 season. He had pitched well against the Reds, allowing only two runs in three of his four starts against them this season. He didnt need much help this time. "The luck hes had this year, its just gratifying to see him get a win at any time," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "Hes had some tough luck this year." Wood forced Cincinnati to strand a runner at second base in the first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. After Shin-Soo Choo doubled with one out in the fifth, Wood got Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto on called third strikes. The Reds stranded seven runners in scoring position in seven innings. "Hes an All-Star," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "He was able to make his pitches when he needed to. We had men in scoring position seven times in the game. We just couldnt get that hit tonight. " Choo was hit in the back with a pitch in the third inning, the 25th time the leadoff hitter has been plunked this season. With that, Choo surpassed Jason LaRue for the club record. Notes: It was the Cubs sixth shutout this season. ... Reds SS Zack Cozart had two doubles, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games. ... RHP Johnny Cueto continues to throw without pain. Cueto is on the DL for the third time this season with shoulder problems. The Reds havent decided when he could pitch in a game or what role he might have. "You dont want to force him in there and end up hurting his shoulder," Baker said. "Its great to have him as a possibility." ... LHP Tony Cingrani (7-3) starts for the Reds on Tuesday, his second appearance since returning from back spasms. The Cubs go with Edwin Jackson (7-15), who leads the NL in losses. Cheap NMD NZ .com) - Jimmie Johnson won Sundays AAA Texas 500 while championship contenders Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski as well as their teams were involved in a post-race fight on pit road after the two clashed in the closing laps at Texas Motor Speedway. Adidas NMD R1 NZ . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.nmdshoesnz.com/adidas-stan-smith-cheap-nz.html. Curtis Davies and Robert Koren secured the victory with goals inside 35 minutes of the fifth-round replay against the second-tier side. NMD XR1 NZ .Cullen scored the go-ahead goal at 13:47 of the third period and Nashville beat the slumping Dallas Stars 3-2 on Thursday in a game that wasnt decided until the last shot of the night. NMD 2020 NZ .The third-seeded Murray, who won here in 2009, will face seventh-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa next on the indoor hard court.ATLANTA -- When Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed found out a neighbouring community had made a generous offer to help finance a new Braves stadium, he balked and said the city simply couldnt compete. Reeds decision comes a few months after the mayor faced tough criticism for pushing through a plan to use public money to support a new NFL stadium downtown. And it underscores the challenges facing cash-strapped communities nationwide as they weigh the risks and rewards of using public money to help finance major sports venues. "The bottom line is that the city was presented with a choice, and that choice was encumbering between $150 million to $250 million in debt and not having money to do anything else," Reed said, referring to the citys share of costs for desired improvements at Turner Field. Instead, the mayor announced Tuesday that Turner Field would be demolished when the Braves leave in 2017, making way for a new large-scale development. Reed has said the city couldnt match Cobb Countys offer of $450 million in public support to the Braves, though the team disputes that figure. When faced with the question of how much to contribute to stadium construction or refurbishment, local leaders have to weigh the state of their communitys finances. In Atlantas case, Reed said the city has a $900 million backlog in infrastructure projects. There have been instances of communities not putting up public money, but those are the exception, said Judith Grant Long, an associate professor of urban planning at Harvard University. Most notable is the current home of the San Francisco Giants, which was the first privately financed major league stadium in decades. On the other end of the spectrum, Long pointed to the $975 million Minnesota Vikings stadium project. There, the public contribution has been estimated at $498 million. "The impact of the recent recession on state and local tax revenues, and consequently fiscal management, should influence thinking about all new capital projects and the role of public debt," Long said. The new 42,000-seat Braves stadium would be located about 10 miles north of downtown and cost $672 million to build. Reed has said he was informed of the $450 million in public financing during a meeting with the team, but the Braves said the costs havent been finalized and "reports of this figure are erroneous." Cobb County appears to have at least three financing options that would not involve raising taxes on residents, including a hotel/motel tax that brought in $10 million in revenue last year, a community improvement district that pools money from area businesses for infrastructure projects and a budget surplus. The proposal does include options for commercial development, including restaurants, retail, hotel and entertainment facilities that would surround the stadium and also woould boost revenues.dddddddddddd Details on the public funding are expected to be released in the next few weeks. In defending his decision, Reed argued the Braves situation was much different than the citys plan to contribute at least $200 million in public funding to support a new $1.2 billion, retractable-roof stadium for the Atlanta Falcons. Reed said the Falcons deal will use the citys hotel/motel tax for improvements to state-owned property where the NFL stadium will be built. There was no such funding mechanism for the Braves, so any contributions would have forced the city to take on significant debt, Reed said. "It doesnt mean I dont want the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta," Reed said. "Were not going to put the city on its back financially." Reed touted the publics relatively small share of costs for the NFL stadium. Long said that was lower than the average of about 70 per cent in public money for stadium projects. William Perry, executive director of the government watchdog group Common Cause Georgia, was a vocal critic of the mayor for not seeking more public input on the Falcons stadium deal. He said this week that the mayor appeared to be applying inconsistent logic by fighting for the Falcons but letting the Braves leave. Braves executives said the decision to leave Turner Field was based on several factors, including $150 million needed to replace seats and pay for other upgrades as well as another $200 million to improve the fan experience. The team cited a lack of mass transit options in the area, too few parking spaces and limited freeway access. "Our new location will give us the opportunity to develop the surrounding area of the new ballpark, transforming it into a mixed use, 365-day destination and creating an enhanced atmosphere for our fans during Braves games," the team said in a statement. Studies have shown stadium projects create only modest increases in overall tax revenue and job creation, Long said, although more teams are taking a role in developing lodging, entertainment and retail around the venues. "In part, this is evidence of a trend where teams are more interested in development around the stadium as part of their evolving business model," Long said, adding that it can also help with gaining approval. "However, these urban development benefits ... are slow to materialize." For Cobb County, the benefits of the project are clearly worth any risk. "This makes Cobbs marketability so much stronger, and it helps us become more than a suburban community," said Brooks Mathis, an executive with the Cobb Chamber of Commerce who helped negotiate the deal. "We are going to see huge benefits for many, many years to come especially having such a wonderful organization like the Braves be a part of our community." ' ' '