CHICAGO — Jameson Taillon pitched seven clear innings in his second straight win and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 on Friday in the opener of their season-ending series.

Taillon (12-8) allowed four hits, struck out two and walked two on a blustery, overcast afternoon at Wrigley Field. The right-hander went 4-0 with a 1.63 ERA in the final six starts of his second year with the Cubs.

“I had a bit of a difficult phase there around the beginning, middle of August,” Taillon said. “To bounce back from that and finish strong is a good feeling.”

Tyson Miller got three outs before Porter Hodge retired the four-hitter for his eighth save.

At 1 hour, 48 minutes, it was the fastest nine-inning game in the majors since Armando Galarraga nearly pitched a perfect game for Detroit against Cleveland on June 2, 2010. This game was completed in 1 hour and 44 minutes.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the fastest nine-inning game for the Cubs since they posted a 3-0 win over the Reds in 1 hour, 48 minutes at Wrigley on May 24, 2001 .

“It was quick, yes. That was nice,” said Taillon with a smile after his 200th career start. “Throw it to the wind. Good luck.”

Chicago (82-78) secured a winning season, improving to 4-7 against Cincinnati on the year. The Cubs began the season with playoff aspirations under new manager Craig Counsell, but were derailed by injuries and an inconsistent lineup.

Cincinnati (76-84) missed another outstanding performance from Nick Martinez (10-7), who threw a five-hitter in his first complete game of his career. The right-hander posted a 4-1 record with a 0.83 ERA in five starts in September.

“I didn’t have a good feeling about my substitution today,” Martinez said. “So knowing what the wind is doing, playing with the elements and sometimes seeing how far they can hit it, knowing that it will be beneficial for me.”

The Reds lost for the sixth time in eight games. They failed to get a runner to third.

“With the wind blowing so hard, it was a challenge,” Cincinnati interim manager Freddie Benavides said.

The Cubs had their only run in the fifth. Nico Hoerner hit a leadoff double, moved to third on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Sacrifice Bunt and raced to the finish on Miguel Amaya’s Sacrifice Fly.

Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson grabbed Jake Fraley’s throw from right field and made a long-range tag attempt, but Hoerner slid in safely.

Counsell applauded third base coach Willie Harris’ decision to put Hoerner on the tricky fly ball.

“I think when the ball went up in the air, Willie yelled at Nico, which was really cool: ‘You’re leaving.’ “I don’t care where the ball ends up,” Counsell said.

Cincinnati had multiple baserunners in just one inning. TJ Friedl and Ty France walked with one out in the second, but Fraley and Santiago Espinal flied out.

TRAINER ROOM

Reds: C Tyler Stephenson was checked by a trainer after being hit by a foul ball in the fifth. But he stayed in the game.

Cubs: OF Seiya Suzuki (ankle) missed his second straight game. Counsell said Suzuki hit the cage and ran a bit. “I’m optimistic he can play tomorrow,” Counsell said.

NEXT

Right-handers Rhett Lowder (2-2, 1.40 ERA) and Kyle Hendricks (4-12, 6.28 ERA) take the mound on Saturday. Lowder pitched five scoreless innings in Cincinnati’s 7-1 win over Pittsburgh last weekend. Hendricks, who is eligible for free agency after this season, may be making his final start for Chicago.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB