CHICAGO (AP) -- Even when he doesn't make a spectacular catch in center field, Ken Griffey Jr.'s mere presence can change a game.

It happened Saturday as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 5-3, giving left-hander Ron Villone his fourth straight victory.

Trailing 5-0, the Cubs loaded the bases with three straight hits to start the bottom of the seventh.

Ricky Gutierrez followed with a drive to center field off the ivy-covered wall, but it turned into just a long RBI single. That's because Julio Zuleta, who was on second base, slowed up to watch whether Griffey would make an over-the-shoulder catch. He only reached third on the play.

"The guys on the bases couldn't do anything," Villone said. "With Junior out there, you don't know if he's going to catch it or not."

Griffey put it this way: "If I could have caught it, I would have caught it," he said.

Reds manager Jack McKeon also thought it would be another great catch by his new center fielder. He also wasn't sure if Zuleta got passed on the bases by Willie Greene, who was motoring from first base on the play.

"I think those guys on the bases thought he could catch it, too," McKeon said. "If he'd had more room, he would have got it."

Zuleta just barely ventured off second, taking a cautious approach as the ball sailed over Griffey's head.

"I had to wait until the guy on third base tags and it was hard to decide because Griffey is so good," Zuleta said.

"We had the bases loaded with no outs and it could have been a big inning," Cubs manager Don Baylor said.

"The wind probably knocked down a grand slam for Gutierrez. Julio went back because he thought Griffey would catch it over his shoulder. He's a rookie and he's not going to take chances. If it's a different score, Julio's probably halfway."

After the nearly 400-foot single, reliever Scott Williamson replaced Villone and gave up an RBI grounder to Dave Martinez and a sacrifice fly to Sammy Sosa that made it 5-3. Glenallen Hill struck out to end the inning.

The Cubs put runners on first and second in the ninth before Sosa grounded out to end the game. Danny Graves pitched the ninth for his seventh save in seven chances.

"We weren't going to give in to Sammy. We were going to make him go after it," McKeon said.

For a second straight game, the Griffey-Sosa matchup produced no homers from two of the game's premier long ball hitters. Griffey walked twice and had an RBI single, going 1-for-2, while Sosa was 0-for-4 with his sacrifice fly.

Villone (6-1) allowed nine hits and three runs in six-innings plus.

The Reds jumped on Jon Lieber (4-3) for five runs in the first two innings. In the first, Griffey walked and raced around to score on Dmitri Young's double into the left-field corner. Sean Casey hit an RBI single.

Aaron Boone led off the second with his seventh homer for a 3-0 lead. Pokey Reese walked and scored when Barry Larkin singled to left and Hill overran the ball for an error. Griffey hit an RBI single.

Lieber had won his three previous decisions. He allowed six hits and five runs over seven innings.

Notes: Cubs second baseman Eric Young was ejected by second base umpire Eric Cooper as he came onto the field in the top of the second inning. Cooper had called Young out in the bottom of the first on a stolen base attempt, saying Young had slid off the bag and was tagged. That precipitated a loud protest by Young and it carried over into the next half inning before he was tossed. ... Lieber hadn't pitched since last Saturday. His scheduled start Thursday was bumped by a rainout. ... The announced crowd on a 54-degree day was 39,101, the Cubs' largest at home this season. ... Sean Casey has a 10-game hitting streak.