Offense leads the way in 12–8 win over Reds
The Cubs picked up their fourth straight win thanks to home runs by Rizzo, Heyward and Contreras.
If you are a fan of high scoring games, home runs and worn out bullpens, then Saturday afternoon was the perfect Cubs game for you. On a day in which starting pitcher Jake Arrieta did not have his best stuff, it was the offense, led Jason Heyward, Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras, that powered the Cubs to a 12–8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Rizzo and Heyward each hit a three-run home run while Contreras provided a grand slam.
Saturday’s win was the fourth straight for the Cubs and it improves Chicago’s record to 10–7 on this young season, good for first place in the NL Central. The Cubs are currently 6–2 on the road this year.
It was not the greatest of starts for former Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta. He gave up two first inning home runs to Joey Votto (3-run homer) and Eugenio Suarez along with an additional run in the second inning and it appeared early on that he was in trouble. However, Arrieta eventually settled down from there and finished with a line of: 6 IP, 8 Hits, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB’s, and 8 K’s.
Cincinnati starter Cody Reed was chased out of the game after only two innings thanks in large part to the Rizzo and Contreras home runs. Command was a clear issue for Reed since he walked five hitters in those two-innings, which provided the ample opportunities for the Cubs to do damage with runners on base. Arrieta was even able to help his own cause in the fifth inning with his RBI triple to right center field.
After three straight comeback wins, the Cubs found themselves ahead for nearly the entire contest on Saturday and were never really challenged late. Cincinnati added a solo home run in the eighth inning from Suarez, and two more runs in the ninth off RBI’s from Joey Votto and Adam Duvall, but four runs was closest the Reds ever got. Contreras was the best hitter on the afternoon for the Cubs as he went 3 for 4 with a double, single, grand slam, two runs and four RBI’s. Rizzo and Heyward were the other main offensive contributors as they combined for seven RBI’s, four hits, and five runs scored.
After Arrieta exited the game, Koji Uehara provided one scoreless inning in the seventh, Justin Grimm went 0.2 IP and allowed one run on two hits, Carl Edwards Jr. faced one batter to get out of the eighth, and Brian Duensing allowed two runs on three hits in the ninth to finish the job.
The series finale will start at 12:10 CT and starting pitchers will feature Bronson Arroyo for the Reds and John Lackey for the Cubs. Lackey will take the mound for Chicago coming off a six inning, four run outing against Milwaukee on Monday. On the season Lackey has a 4.00 ERA and 4.69 FIP. In three starts, Arroyo has posted an 8.40 ERA and 7.04 FIP. In his last appearance, Arroyo went five innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits.
Nick Konotopskyj is a recent graduate of St. Bonaventure University in Western New York. As a fan of the Cubs, Bills, Sabres and Knicks winning seasons have been hard to come by let alone title contending teams. Finally, the Cubs were able to lift the curse last fall. You can follow him on Twitter here.
