CINCINNATI -- When the Reds gave up a lot to swing the three-team trade that brought starting pitcher Trevor Bauer from the Indians before the Trade Deadline, it wasn’t just about improving the rotation for next season. It was also about having Bauer for important games this season, as Cincinnati tries to hang on in the postseason chase.

There have been few games that have been bigger for the Reds in 2019 than Friday’s vs. the Cubs. Coming off a rough loss to them on Thursday, they needed to rebound quickly. Enter Bauer, who provided the much-needed strong seven-inning start during a 5-2 victory at Great American Ball Park.

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"We had to have this one tonight,” Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart said. “That was the feeling in the clubhouse. Truly, we've got to get the series. Last night was a bummer. Tonight was a had-to-have game. We got a great start by Trevor. Hell of a win for us."

The fourth-place Reds (55-59) moved to seven games behind the first-place Cubs in the National League Central. They have won 11 of their past 17 games -- including four of their past five.

“We kind of talked about it as a staff coming into this series, like, ‘Let’s get after them and kind of lead the way.’ It was nice to be able to kind of get us back on track,” said Bauer, who came over when Yasiel Puig was sent to Cleveland and top prospect Taylor Trammell went to San Diego.

Bauer didn’t have a great Reds debut last Saturday in Atlanta as he labored for 4 2/3 innings, but he sure knew how to make a good impression on the home crowd. Not only did he bring his best stuff to the mound, he delivered pizza, too -- so to speak -- with 11 strikeouts that prompted a free pizza promotion from a local chain, to the delight of many. The right-hander allowed one run and only three hits with two walks while throwing 106 pitches.

Part of Bauer’s effectiveness was his ability to diversify with four pitches -- a four-seam fastball, cut fastball, slider and curveball. Following a Nicholas Castellanos solo homer in the first inning, Bauer struck out the next batter -- Kris Bryant -- with a curveball in the dirt and then used another curve to strike out Anthony Rizzo. To open the sixth, Bauer got an 80 mph slider by Castellanos for a strikeout, and he closed the inning with a rising 96 mph fastball that whiffed Ian Happ.

"I think the first game, we were trying to get on the same page for me and him -- not having a lot of time to talk about his when-in-doubt pitch, 'What can I go to whenever I need a strike?’” Barnhart said. "Leading up to this start, we had a lot of time to sit down and talk about their lineup and his mix. He labored in the first start, struggled to get ahead of guys. Tonight was the complete opposite.”

Bauer opened the fourth inning with a four-pitch walk to Bryant, and Rizzo’s single put runners on the corners. Javier Baez grounded back to Bauer, which started a rundown between third and home that led to the first out before the next two batters were retired.

“I got myself in trouble in the fourth, and generally, those moments wake me up and I lock in for those moments,” Bauer said. “I’ve tried for a lot of years to figure out how to lock in before that, but it’s not as easy as it would seem. Once that happened, I feel like I was pretty much in control, and I executed much better in the latter half of the game.”

The lineup picked up Bauer with three home runs. Scorching hot rookie Aristides Aquino lifted a two-run homer to right field in the second inning against Yu Darvish. It was Aquino’s fourth homer in nine big league games since he was called up Aug. 1. Eugenio Suárez and Joey Votto each connected with a solo homer.

Bauer still had gas in the tank for the seventh inning. On his final pitch of the night, he got a called strike three on pinch-hitter Tony Kemp with a 95 mph fastball in a full count. Manager David Bell lifted Bauer for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the seventh to keep the inning alive after Jose Peraza blooped a two-out RBI single to center field.

“He was certainly just as strong at the end as he was in the beginning of the game. It’s a great sign,” Bell said. “For him to get a start under his belt here at home in a big game, I think everyone saw what he was capable of. It was a big start for our team, a nice win. He should feel great about what he was able to do tonight.”

For the rest of 2019, and next season when he still will be under club control, Bauer gives the Reds an elite rotation that also features All-Stars Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo -- who pitch the next two games vs. the Cubs.

“Their starting rotation is very good,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said ahead of this series. “It's going to be tough. They're getting closer to .500 also. They still have that nice team on the field. They're doing things well.”