Spencer Steer clubbed a two-run homer for one of his two hits, rookie Matt McLain had four with one RBI, and Nick Senzel drove in two as the Cincinnati Reds completed a three-game road sweep of the Chicago Cubs with Sunday’s 8-5 victory
Tied 3-3 in the fifth, Cincinnati’s TJ Friedl (two hits) lined a pinch-hit, RBI double to right field off Chicago reliever Jeremiah Estrada, and Kevin Newman drew a bases-loaded walk to give Cincinnati a two-run cushion. Steer padded that advantage on his ball into the left-field bleachers, with a man on in the sixth, for Cincinnati, which totaled 25 runs, 45 hits, including 14 doubles, to sweep their first road series of at least three games since June 14-16, 2021.
Reds starter Graham Ashcraft (3-3) wasn’t efficient, but kept the Cubs to only a Patrick Wisdom, three-run, second-inning homer. He also yielded four other hits and three walks, while striking out six, to earn his first victory since April 15
Meanwhile, Chicago’s Drew Smyly (5-2) was charged with five runs — his most since giving up six earned in his season debut April 3 — and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. Wisdom also knocked a two-run homer, his 14th on the season, in the eighth, and Mike Tauchman added three hits for Chicago, which has been outscored 35-11 during its four-game skid.
With one out in the second, Cincinnati’s Stuart Fairchild doubled, stole third and scored on Senzel’s single past a drawn-in infield. Senzel went to third on Kevin Newman’s single and scored on Jake Fraley’s ground out to first base for a 2-0 Reds‘ lead
However, the Cubs pushed ahead in the bottom of the frame when Seiya Suzuki walked, and eventually went to third on Tauchman’s two-out single. Wisdom then sent an Ashcraft pitch to the top of the left-field bleachers for his first homer since May 10
The Reds tied it in the third with back-to-back doubles by Jonathan India and McLain, who is batting .380 in 12 games since making his MLB debut on May 15
–Field Level Media
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