CHICAGO (Interstat) — Pinch-hitter Michael Conforto launched a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, capping a two-run rally that lifted the Chicago Cubs to a 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs extended their winning streak to six games and improved to 23-12, the best record in the National League Central. Chicago has won 12 consecutive home games, its longest such streak at Wrigley Field since a 14-game run in 2008. The Reds, who entered the night at 20-15, dropped their fourth straight.

Seiya Suzuki delivered the biggest blow among Chicago’s six hits, a three-run homer in the fourth inning that erased an early deficit. Suzuki finished 2 for 3 with the home run and three RBIs. The Cubs’ offense, which managed only six hits overall, produced the game-winning runs in the ninth against Reds reliever Emilio Pagán.

Cincinnati took a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth when Spencer Steer lined an RBI single off Cubs reliever Ben Brown. However, the Reds could not hold the margin. Pagán entered in the bottom of the ninth and immediately ran into trouble. Pinch-hitter Pete Crow-Armstrong tripled to center field with one out, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Nico Hoerner to tie the game. One batter later, Conforto, batting for catcher Carson Kelly, drove a 1-0 pitch from Pagán over the center-field wall for his first home run of the season.

Reds starter Chase Petty worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits while striking out one. He left with a 3-0 lead after the top of the fourth, but Suzuki’s blast in the bottom of the inning tied the game.

Cubs starter Edward Cabrera pitched six innings and scattered nine hits, allowing three earned runs while striking out eight. He retired eight of the last nine batters he faced. Ryan Rolison, who earned the win, pitched a perfect ninth inning with three strikeouts. Rolison improved to 2-0 on the season. Pagán took the loss, falling to 2-1.

Cincinnati broke the scoreless tie in the third inning when JJ Bleday hit a solo home run, his third of the season, to right field. The Reds added two more runs in the fourth on a two-run homer by Ke’Bryan Hayes, his second of the year, driving home Will Benson who had walked. Hayes finished 1 for 3 with the home run and two RBIs.

Chicago answered in the bottom of the fourth. Alex Bregman led off with a walk and Ian Happ also walked to bring up Suzuki, who crushed a 1-2 pitch to center field, a 455-foot blast that tied the game at 3. Suzuki’s home run was his sixth of the season.

The score remained 3-3 until the eighth. With one out, Nathaniel Lowe walked for Cincinnati, and Steer followed with a single to left field, scoring Blake Dunn, who had entered as a pinch runner for Lowe. Steer advanced to second on the throw. The Reds could not add to the lead, as Tyler Stephenson popped out and Benson struck out. Hayes grounded out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Cubs loaded the bases with two outs after a walk to Moisés Ballesteros, a force out that erased pinch runner Matt Shaw, an intentional walk to Suzuki and a walk to Michael Busch. But reliever Graham Ashcraft struck out Kelly to preserve the one-run lead.

The Reds threatened in the top of the ninth against Phil Maton and Hoby Milner, but Maton struck out pinch-hitter Dane Myers, and Milner retired Bleday and Elly De La Cruz on strikes to send the game to the bottom of the ninth.

Crow-Armstrong tripled to lead off the ninth. After Dansby Swanson struck out, Hoerner lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Crow-Armstrong and tie the game. Conforto then hit his walk-off homer.

Cincinnati’s pitchers combined for 13 strikes, 46 balls and 13 balls in play, while Chicago’s pitchers had 12 strikes, 44 balls and 12 balls in play. The Reds collected 10 hits to the Cubs’ six.

Bleday had the only multi-hit game for Cincinnati with a home run and a walk. Elly De La Cruz singled three times in four at-bats. For Chicago, Suzuki’s two hits included the home run, and Bregman doubled in the first inning.

The attendance was 32,997. The game lasted 2 hours, 32 minutes.

The Cubs and Reds will play the second game of a four-game series Tuesday at Wrigley Field. Cincinnati has lost four consecutive games overall, while Chicago has won six in a row and 16 of its last 19.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Chicago Cubs 7, Cincinnati Reds 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Cubs a 63.20 percent probability to win. Chicago was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of nine runs went over the over-under line of 11.