Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Carlos Zambrano tossed eight brilliant shutout innings to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.

Zambrano (5-1) allowed three hits and struck out three with three walks for the Cubs, who rebounded from a loss in Monday's series opener and halted a two-game skid. Ronny Cedeno drove in two runs while Aramis Ramirez notched an RBI and a run scored in the victory.

Ken Griffey had two hits for the Reds, who lost for the sixth time in their last seven games overall. Aaron Harang (1-5) started on the mound and absorbed the loss after he allowed three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts over seven innings. Harang also registered a hit for Cincinnati.

Zambrano was sharp from the start -- he retired the side in order in the first inning and picked off Joey Votto in the second. A two-out walk to Ryan Freel in the third was cancelled when Griffey lined out.

Meanwhile, the Cubs got all the offense they needed in top of the first when Ramirez singled home Ryan Theriot, who had singled with one out and stole second base.

Two more Chicago runs in the top of the fourth gave the visitors a 3-0 advantage. Derrek Lee drew a leadoff walk and Ramirez followed with another base-on-balls to put runners on first and second with no outs. Kosuke Fukudome then bunted both runners ahead one base before Cedeno's two-out, two- run single.

"The difference in the game is that they got two-out hits and those are the hits we're not getting," said Reds manager Dusty Baker.

Zambrano eluded trouble twice more in the middle innings. In the home fourth, he forced slugger Adam Dunn to fly out and then fanned Freel after Harang singled with two outs to close the fifth.

The Reds' best scoring chance occurred in the bottom of the sixth. Griffey ripped a leadoff single and Brandon Phillips reached base on Cedeno's throwing error. With runners on first and second and no outs, Votto flied out before Zambrano induced a double play off the bat of Edwin Encarnacion.

Zambrano was perfect in both the bottom of the seventh and the eighth and Kerry Wood came on for the ninth. Votto bunted his way onto first base with one out, but Wood fanned Encarnacion and Dunn to earn his fifth save of 2008.

"I didn't know I had thrown (that many) pitches," Zambrano said. "When they told me I had that many, I realized I was done."