The Reds return home after a brief road trip in Chicago and Colorado, winning both series and sweeping the Rockies, to play the Chicago Cubs in a 4 game series.
Game 1:
Thursday’s game would see Hunter Greene face off against Javier Assad. Greene has gone 6 innings or more in his previous 4 starts. The game would be scoreless through 2 innings but Seiya Suzuki would launch a 2 run home run off Greene in the 3rd, giving Chicago a 2-0 lead. Bottom of the 3rd, Elly De La Cruz crushed a 3 run home run off Assad giving Cincy a 3-0 lead. That home run ball was hit 114mph exit velocity. Thursdays game was also the 1 year anniversary of Elly being called up to the Reds big league club. Elly is the only player since 1900 with 65 or more stolen bases and 50 or more extra base hits within 1 year or their debut.
Hunter Greene would notch his 400th career strikeout in the 5th inning as the score remains 3-2 Reds. Later in the 6th inning, the Cubs would strike back to take the lead off a Christopher Morel 2 run home run giving Chicago a 4-3 lead. The Cubs lead wouldn’t last as in the bottom in the inning, Jonathan India would hit a RBI single, scoring Jake Fraley and tying the game at 4. Later, TJ Friedl roped at double that would score Tyler Stephenson, giving the Reds a 5-4 lead. The Redlegs would go on to score 3 more in the 7th, 1 on a bases load walk, and Will Benson would hit a 2 run single off Kyle Hendricks giving the Reds an 8-4 lead. Alexis Diaz would pitch a scoreless 9th, as the Reds beat the Cubs 8-4.
Greene was great again on Thursday night. He would go 6.2 innings, allow 5 hits, 8 strikeouts and 4 earned runs.
BOX SCORE STANDOUTS:
Elly De La Cruz: 1-5 HR, 3RBI
Tyler Stephenson: 2-2 BB 2R
Will Benson: 2-4 2RBI
The Reds have won 5 straight games and look to stay hot against the Cubs.
Friday’s Starters:
Justin Steele
Nick Lodolo
Game 2:
Friday has Nick Lodolo going up against Justin Steele of the Cubs. Lodolo has arguably been the teams ace this season. Lodolo’s last start was against the Cubs in Chicago. He would go 6 innings, give up 7 hits and 2 runs.
Both pitchers were dominant early. In the 4th inning, Elly De La Cruz reached on a walk. He would later steal 2nd on a pickoff attempt that resulted in a bad throw to 2nd, allowing Elly to get beneath the tag. Spencer Steer would reach on a dropped 3rd strike, and Tyler Stephenson would rip a 2 run double giving the Reds a 2-0 lead. Later in the 5th, Blake Dunn would get his first big league hit, churning a hustle double. Stuart Fairchild would drive him in, giving the Reds 3-0 lead.
In the 6th, Dansby Swanson would put the Cubs on the board with a solo home run. In the 9th, Alexis Diaz would make it interesting. Miguel Amaya would hit an RBI double making it a 3-2 game. Diaz would later strike out Patrick Wisdom, closing the door on the game. Reds win 3-2.
Lodolo was phenomenal on Friday night. 6 innings, 1 earned run and 7 strikeouts. His season ERA is now 2.92. The Reds have now won 6 games in a row as they are inching closer to getting back to .500 baseball.
BOX SCORE STANDOUTS:
Stuart Fairchild: 1-4 RBI
TJ Friedl: 1-3
Blake Dunn: 1-3 (first career hit)
Saturday’s Starters:
Ben Brown
Andrew Abbott
Game 3:
Andrew Abbott takes the mound Saturday. Top 1, Dansby Swanson hits an RBI double giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Jeimer Candelario ripped a solo home run off Ben Brown, tying the game at 1.
TJ Friedl would crush a 2 run homer off Brown, Reds lead 3-1. Later in the 5th, Jonathan Inda would score on a ground out by Friedl, giving the Reds a 4-1 advantage. Emilio Pagan would come in to pitch in the 6th. Yan Gomes would hit an RBI double off Pagan, closing the gap to a 4-2 game. Fernando Cruz would pitch the 8th, allowing 1 run on a Pete Crow-Armstrong groundout. Justin Wilson would come on to pitch the 9th, earning his first save of the season, Reds win 4-3.
Abbott didn’t have his best stuff, but he was impressive the way he worked through it. He would go 5 innings, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 5 strikeouts and 4 walks.
BOX SCORE STANDOUTS:
Jeimer Candelario: 1-4 HR RBI
TJ Friedl: 1-3 HR 3 RBI
Jonathan India: 1-2 2R, BB
Sunday’s Starters:
Shōta Imanaga
Frankie Montas
The Reds have now won 7 games in a row and look to complete a 4 game sweep of the Cubs on Sunday.
Game 4:
Frankie Montas looked to follow up his dominant start last time out against Colorado, where he would pitch 7 innings of 1 hit baseball. Spoiler alert, he would not on Sunday. After loading the bases, Montas would give up a bases clearing double to Reds killer Ian Haap, Cubs lead 3-0. Shōta Imanaga would be dominant on Sunday, going 1-2-3 in the 1st. Montas would allow another run in the 2nd inning on a Mike Tauchman single, Cubs lead 4-0 and that would be the end for Montas. Luke Maile would ambush Imanaga on a first pitch fastball for a home run, his first since March 30th. The Reds now trail 4-1.
In the 7th, Santiago Espinal would hit a RBI single that would score Spencer Steer, but would be thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Buck Farmer would escape a bases loaded jam in the 9th, giving the Reds a chance to rally. That rally would never come, as Hector Neris would pitch a 1-2-3 9th earning the save and avoiding the sweep. Cubs win 4-2. Frankie Montas would only go 1.1 innings, giving up 4, striking out 2 and walking 3. Carson Spiers was excellent out of the bullpen. Spiers was scratched from his start in Louisville and was promoted on Sunday, would pitch 5.2 innings, allow 4 hits, walk 1 and strike out 7. The bullpen was good again, not allowing a run.
BOX SCORE STANDOUTS:
Spencer Steer: 1-4 R
Luke Maile: 1-2 HR
Carson Spiers: 5.2 IP, 7K 1BB
The Reds are off on Monday. The Cleveland Guardians will come down to Cincinnati for a 2 game set Tuesday and Wednesday in the Battle for the Ohio Cup.
Tueday’s Probables
Reds: TBD
Guardians: Tristan McKenzie
McKenzie has an ERA of 7.04 and allowed 20 hits in his last 3 starts. The Guardians come in to Great American Ball Park with a record of 42-22 and the Reds are 32-34.
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