Friday, July 11, 2014
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Cubs avoid sweep with 12-inning win

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[July 11, 2014]  CINCINNATI -- It was an emotional Thursday afternoon for Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who said there were no hard feelings after a bench-clearing altercation with the Cincinnati Reds shortly after learning he had made the National League All-Star team.

"They called a meeting after the game and let me know. I had no idea," Rizzo said of winning the final fan vote. "Great to get a win on top of it. Nothing better."

Third baseman Luis Valbuena's triple drove in the go-ahead runs in the 12th inning, lifting the Cubs to a 6-4 victory over the Reds on an emotionally charged afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

J.J. Hoover (1-6) took the loss for Cincinnati. Blake Parker (1-0) picked up the victory for Chicago.

Cubs second baseman Arismendy Alcantara went 4-for-5 with a double and triple, his first career hits, and three RBIs.

With two outs in the 12th, Valbuena tripled off Skip Schumaker's glove in right field, driving in two runs. Valbuena was thrown out at home attempting to stretch an inside-the-park homer.

But there was an ugly side to Thursday's game.

Benches cleared in the top of the ninth when Rizzo approached the Reds dugout between innings.
 


Rizzo was hit by a pitch in the first inning by Reds starter Homer Bailey. There were three hit batters in the game. Reds closer Aroldis Chapman threw two fastballs over Cubs outfielder Nate Schierholtz's head in the ninth, resulting in some jawing from the Cubs dugout. There were no ejections.

"I have the utmost respect for this city and the Reds," Rizzo said. "I also needed to be a good teammate and stick up for them. Things were said. You have 50 men competing at the highest level. Tempers are going to flare sometimes. Hopefully, it's not something that carries into the future. I don't think there's any bad blood."

Reds manager Bryan Price agreed.

"There was a lot of testosterone on the field," Price said. "That is the way baseball is. We hit Rizzo, certainly unintentional. (Reds shortstop Zack) Cozart got hit in the hand. Certainly that was unintentional. Chapman had the ball get away from him up and in and things got a little testy. It's baseball."

Bailey allowed three earned runs in five innings before leaving with pain the patellar tendon in his right knee. He was diagnosed with a strain and is expected to make his next start.

The loss ended a five-game winning streak for Cincinnati (49-43), preventing its first five-game series sweep since 1976. Chicago (39-52) snapped a six-game losing streak.

Lost amid Thursday's drama was the big-league debut of Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who allowed three earned runs and four hits in six innings. He struck out seven.

Hendricks' debut got off to an inauspicious start when he walked the first two batters he faced on nine pitches.

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Catcher Brayan Pena's RBI double followed by run-scoring singles by left fielder Ryan Ludwick and second baseman Ramon Santiago made the score 3-0.

Cincinnati sent nine batters to the plate in the first against Hendricks, who needed 33 pitches to complete the inning.

Hendricks settled in after the rocky first, retiring 13 of 14 with four strikeouts. The only blemish in that stretch was Ludwick's solo blast on a 1-0 pitch in the third inning that made the score 4-1.

"I thought he settled down. I thought he was throwing pretty well early. I thought the zone was pretty small," Cubs manager Rich Renteria said.

In the fifth, Alcantara doubled off the left field wall for his first career hit, driving in two runs to cut Chicago's deficit to 4-3. Shortstop Starlin Castro's RBI single tied the score 4-4 in the eighth.

"How about Arismendy?" Renteria said. "Some good at-bats. Guys were excited for him. He had a nice day."

NOTES: Reds 2B Brandon Phillips will have surgery on Friday to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb suffered in Wednesday's game and could miss six weeks. "It is a big blow," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Brandon is a big two-way player. He has hit in the middle of the order most of the year. Defensively, he has been spectacular. It is a blow, but we'll weather it."... Reds RHP Homer Bailey left the game in the sixth inning with a strained right knee. ... Prior to Thursday's game, the Reds selected from Triple-A Louisville the contract of INF Kristopher Negron and optioned RHP Carlos Contreras to Triple-A. ... Reds RHP Brett Marshall was designated for assignment. ... Cubs RHP Dallas Beeler, who made his second career start on Wednesday, was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to make room on the roster for RHP Kyle Hendricks. ... Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo is the first left-handed Cubs batter to reach 20 home runs before the All-Star break since Rick Monday in 1973.

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