LDN - Sports

Reds come from behind to sweep sliding Cubs

[July 05, 2021] A trio of three pitchers combined for 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief and Jesse Winker drove in the go-ahead run during a two-run rally in the seventh inning as the Cincinnati Reds completed a three-game weekend sweep of the visiting Chicago Cubs with a 3-2 win on Sunday.

For a second straight day, the Cubs' offense was unable to back a strong outing from their starting pitcher and fell for a ninth straight time.

Willson Contreras grounded into a 5-4-3 double play with the tying and go-ahead runs on first and second in the ninth to end the game. Amir Garrett, who missed badly with his first six pitches in the ninth, rebounded to earn his sixth save.

The loss dropped the Cubs to .500 on the season (42-42), as they finished their nightmarish 10-game road trip through Los Angeles, Milwaukee and Cincinnati with a 1-9 mark. The trip that began with the historic combined no-hitter at Dodger Stadium ended with the Cubs 1 1/2 games behind the second-place Reds and 8 1/2 games behind the National League Central-leading Brewers.

Reliever Art Warren (2-0) recorded the final out of the seventh to earn the win. He relieved Reds starter Wade Miley after Contreras' two-out single. Kris Bryant grounded out to second to end the inning.

Kyle Hendricks continued to serve as the Cubs' ace, limiting the Reds to five hits and one run over six innings, striking out five, walking none and, perhaps most impressively, keeping the slugging Reds in the park.

Hendricks, who leads the National league in homers allowed (20), didn't allow one on a hot, humid day at the homer-friendly Great American Ball Park. It was the third time in four outings that Hendricks kept the opponent in the yard.

The Cubs produced a first-inning threat Sunday and scored when Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo (against the shift) connected for singles to left field. Javier Baez singled to nearly the same spot on the left side, scoring Bryant easily, and the Cubs finally had a traditional rally that had eluded them for the better part of the first two games.

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Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Wade Miley (22) throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

With one out in the second, Jake Marisnick drilled a fastball just beyond the reach of Tyler Naquin in right-center for a triple. Just when it looked like that would go to waste following an Ian Happ strikeout for the second out, Hendricks, with an .080 batting average coming in, grounded a seeing-eye single up the middle to score Marisnick for a 2-0 lead.

The only scoreboard damage the Reds could do against Hendricks was a Tucker Barnhart double that plated Kyle Farmer for Cincinnati's first run in the second.

But after Hendricks came out for a pinch-hitter in the seventh, Dan Winkler couldn't preserve the 2-1 lead, allowing the first three batters to reach in the seventh. Then, following a force out at home on a Tyler Stephenson grounder to third, Winkler drilled Jonathan India in the back to force home Farmer with the tying run. Winkler (1-1) took the loss.

With lefty Andrew Chafin brought in to face Winker, the Reds' leader in homers (19) grounded to the right side but the Cubs could only get the force at second. Mike Freeman scored to make give Cincinnati the 3-2 lead.

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