CHICAGO -- Left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada had another rough outing but the Chicago Cubs bullpen rode to the rescue on Thursday.

Five Cubs relievers combined for six scoreless innings of two-hit ball as the Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 in the opener of a four-game weekend series.

Left-hander Travis Wood (3-2) relieved Wada in the fourth and worked 2 2/3 innings for the win while right-hander Hector Rondon pitched the ninth for his 11th save.

"You can't say enough about the bullpen today, every one of them was outstanding," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon. "And Woody really put some definition into that game. He really got it back on our side."

Catcher Miguel Montero went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, and Dexter Fowler added a solo shot as the Cubs (32-26) collected their fourth win in five games.

Cincinnati rookie right-hander Michael Lorenzen (1-2) took his second consecutive loss as the Reds saw a four-game winning streak snapped.

The Cubs biggest concern was Wada, who has had back-to-back short outings. Maddon said he's not ready to pull him from the rotation but recent trends are worrisome.

"He just needs to become more assertive like he was earlier," Maddon said. "I'm seeing him try to be too complicated. Let's simplify this whole thing, trust your good stuff."

Lorenzen landed in quick trouble when Montero's blast to right-center gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Reds starter gave up a one-out double to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, walked third baseman Kris Bryant and then surrendered the homer -- the catcher's eighth of the season -- on a 3-2 pitch.

"They turned the tables on us and Montero with the three-run home run," said Reds manager Bryan Price. "Michael (Lorenzen) was able to pull himself out of a 3-0 hole, then a series of fastballs one after another to get to 3-2 and then the 3-2 fastball was a decent pitch up just enough to get the barrel on it."

The Reds (27-32) got two runs back in the second. Lorenzen tagged Wada for a two-out triple to right to drive in catcher Brayan Pena and shortstop Eugenio Suarez, just called up from Triple-A Louisville.

Fowler opened the third by taking Lorenzen's 1-0 pitch to the right field bleachers for a 4-2 lead. It was the center fielder's seventh homer of the season.

Reds left fielder Chris Dominguez homered to left to start the fourth, trimming the Cubs' lead to 4-3. That also spelled the end for Wada.

Wada, who pitched 3 2/3 innings his previous time out, worked three-plus innings Thursday and allowed three runs and four hits while striking out four and walking two.

"It wasn't as bad as the last time, but I just can't make adjustments," Wada said. "That's not the way I pitch. I just can't find it right now."

Bryant padded the lead in the fifth with a one-out double to the left field corner that scored second baseman Addison Russell for a 5-3 Chicago lead.

A walk to Fowler then loaded the bases and marked the end for Lorenzen.

Facing reliever Burke Badenhop, left fielder Chris Coghlan bounced a weak grounder in front of the plate that was mishandled by Pena for an error. That allowed Coghlan to reach base while Rizzo scored from third for a 6-3 lead.

Lorenzen worked 4 1/3 innings in just his eighth career appearance. He allowed five hits and six runs (five earned), struck out six and walked three.

"One thing that I was happy about was that I didn't step off the gas," Lorenzen said. "I kept going out there and saying 'this is what I have today and I'm going to keep coming at you with it.'

"They kept tacking them on but I didn't back down."

Thursday's game was the first with all seats in the park available. The right field bleachers -- the last piece of an outfield project that included new seating and two video boards -- opened for the first time.
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