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CHICAGO (AP) -- Bob Boone already has a crowded outfield and it might start to get even more complicated with Reggie Taylor starting to emerge.

	Branyan

	Taylor

Taylor lined a tying triple with two outs in the ninth inning, then Russell Branyan hit a two-run single in the 10th that sent the Cincinnati Reds over the Chicago Cubs 5-4 Thursday.

The Reds won their third in a row and sent Chicago to its third straight loss. Sammy Sosa hit his major league-leading 27th homer for the Cubs.

Taylor's two-run triple came on an 0-2 pitch from Antonio Alfonseca and made it 3-all.

"This is probably the biggest confidence booster in the world right now,'' said Taylor. "Alfonseca is one of the best closers in baseball. At 0-2, I'm just trying to battle for dear life.''

"We gave Taylor way too good of a pitch on 0-2,'' said Cubs manager Don Baylor.

In the 10th, pinch-hitter Jason LaRue drew a leadoff walk from Kyle Farnsworth (2-1) and moved up on Todd Walker's sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Sean Casey was intentionally walked, and Adam Dunn drew a walk that loaded the bases.

Branyan followed with his tiebreaking single to right.

Todd Hundley hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th before Danny Graves (3-1).

Cubs starter Jon Lieber took a 3-1 lead into the ninth, but left after Casey and Dunn opened the inning with singles. Lieber had six strikeouts.

"Individual stats don't matter. We had the other team down and we were just unable to do it,'' said Lieber.

Alfonseca relieved and retired the first two batters. After fouling off two pitches, Taylor followed with a drive beyond Sosa's reach in right-center field, and the ball rolled to the ivy.

"We got opportunities later in the game and when they took Lieber out we took advantage of it,'' said Graves. "Everytime he (Taylor) is out there he is doing whatever he can to help the team out.''

Sosa homered off Reds reliever Scott Sullivan in eighth to give the Cubs a 3-1 lead.

Sosa hit an RBI single in the third after consecutive walks to Corey Patterson and Chris Stynes. Walks to Fred McGriff and Moises Alou made it 2-0.

Casey led off the Reds fourth with a double and Dunn doubled off the ivy in left-center field.

Cincinnati starter Joey Hamilton pitched seven innings, just giving up two hits and two runs. He tied a season-high by walking six, then retired his last nine batters in a row.

"The big thing that I was tickled about was when he was in a jam, he never gave in,'' said Boone. "He just didn't lay a ball in to get a strike. I preach that all of the time.''

Game notes

Aaron Boone, normally the Reds' third baseman, made his first career start at shortstop in place of Barry Larkin. Larkin left Wednesday's game in the fifth inning after getting muscle spasms in the right side of his neck and upper shoulder. ... The Cubs placed RHP Jason Bere on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a severe contusion to his right knee and recalled RHP Francis Beltran from Double-A West Tenn. Bere lost his eighth straight decision Wednesday. ... The Cubs finished their first half at home with a 16-23.