MESA, Ariz. (AP) — All the Cincinnati Reds know for sure is they will know more about Dontrelle Willis’ injured right ankle on Sunday.

Willis left the Reds’ 7-6 victory over the Chicago Cubs after spraining his ankle when he tripped over a bat while backing up home plate in the fifth inning.

The big left-hander, trying to win a spot in the Reds’ bullpen, recorded just one out Saturday and was charged with four runs, two earned.

“We don’t think it’s too serious,” bench coach Chris Speier said. “It looks like a mild sprain.”

While the Reds think Willis will be OK, the Cubs also were encouraged by the outing they got from Carlos Silva, who has struggled so far this spring.

Silva allowed four runs and five hits in five innings, lowering his ERA from 29.70 to 16.20. The 31-year-old right-hander retired the Reds in order three times, but Cincinnati got to him for two in the third and two in the fifth.

“I know I can pitch, I know what I can do,” Silva said. “It was hard, the first two games, but you can learn a lot from that, too.”

Cubs bench coach Pat Listach said Silva, who struck out two and walked none, was so efficient that he had to go to the bullpen to reach his pitch count of 70.

“That’s the best he has thrown since he has been here,” Listach said. “He commanded the ball and threw the ball over the plate. He got away with some pitches that were up. They threw their big boys out there so he had some pretty good competition.”

Jeremy Hermida and Chris Heisey hit solo homers for Cincinnati. Edgar Renteria, Ramon Hernandez and Jonny Gomes each drove in a run.

Cincinnati went ahead for good when Paul Janish scored on third baseman Aramis Ramirez’s two-base throwing error in the seventh.

Homer Bailey struck out five in four innings for the Reds, yielding one run and six hits.

“I felt so much better out of the stretch today than the windup,” said Bailey, who lowered his ERA to 5.19 in 8 2-3 innings. “If you eliminate the two walks, that’s what upsets me the most, other than the guys at the bottom of the order, I threw pretty good to them. We have a couple weeks left. I have to build up my arm strength and fine tune a few things. I threw some good sliders, but I have to work on my fastball command. The fastball to my arm side isn’t where it needs to be.”

NOTES: The Reds also beat the Cubs 9-8 in a split-squad game in Las Vegas. … Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto was examined by team physician Dr. Timothy Kremchek in Goodyear. He has tightness in his right biceps and forearm, and will not throw for two days. He will be re-examined on Monday. … Cubs RHP Todd Wellemeyer, a non-roster invitee, allowed three runs, two earned, in two innings and revealed he is dealing with a right hip injury.