The Cubs (53-36) return home after going 4-6 on their trip during which they never put together back-to-back wins. However, the NL Central leaders ended it by winning two of three in St. Louis over the weekend, including a 7-1 victory on Sunday as Geovany Soto homered and Aramis Ramirez drove in three runs.

Chicago now begins a six-game homestand looking to improve upon a major league-best 33-10 home record. The team has scored 276 runs and hit for a .311 average at home, both tops in the majors.

The Cubs have won all 10 games Dempster (9-3, 3.24 ERA) has started at Wrigley this year. The right-hander is 9-0 with a 2.71 ERA in those outings and he's been particularly good in winning his last five home starts, allowing seven runs in 37 1-3 innings with nine walks and 37 strikeouts.

Dempster's last two starts have been on the road and he failed to win either, remaining winless away from home since June 2, 2006, but he pitched well in his last outing. He went six innings in San Francisco on Wednesday, allowing two runs and five hits in a 6-5 victory.

One of his worst home starts of the season came against Cincinnati on April 15, when he allowed four runs and walked five in six innings of a 9-5 victory. He also gave up five unearned runs in a 5-3 loss at Cincinnati on May 5. Dempster is 4-4 with a 3.69 ERA in 33 appearances against the Reds (43-47) - nine as a starter.

Dempster will be joined on the NL All-Star team by fellow Cubs pitchers Carlos Zambrano and Kerry Wood. Soto, a rookie catcher who has 15 homers and 52 RBIs, was voted in as an All-Star starter along with outfielders Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano while Ramirez was picked as a reserve. The Cubs set a franchise record with seven All-Stars, with the previous high being six in 1988 and 1936.

"It's flattering," manager Lou Piniella said. "We've played well the first half and these guys that are going are, in a way, largely responsible. We have a few others but these guys have all done their jobs and done them well, and they're being rewarded."

Dempster and the Cubs look to cool off a Reds team that has won four straight and seven of nine.

Cincinnati completed a four-game home sweep of Washington with a 6-5 win on Sunday. Adam Dunn hit a three-run homer and Jerry Hairston had two hits and drove in two runs, including an RBI single in the eighth.

Hairston has developed into a solid leadoff hitter and has keyed the Reds' recent run, going 14-for-32 (.438) with five RBIs, seven runs and three steals over the last eight games.

"We couldn't be where we are (without him). He's been awesome," Reds manager Dusty Baker told the team's official Web site.

The Reds will hand the ball to Aaron Harang (3-10, 4.47), whose start was pushed back from Sunday to Tuesday because of stiffness in his right forearm. He gave up three runs over seven innings against Pittsburgh last Monday, but did not receive a decision in the 4-3 win.

Harang is 8-5 with a 4.57 ERA in 17 starts against the Cubs. He's lost his last three outings against them, including two this season.

The Reds and Cubs have split their six meetings this season. Cincinnati lost two of three in Chicago during April in Baker's first trip back to Wrigley since he served as Cubs manager from 2003-06.