Cincinnati Reds rout Chicago Cubs 7-2 – MLB Update
The Cincinnati Reds won the second game in row on Wednesday, September 14 to beat the Chicago Cubs 7-2 at the Great American Ball Park.
Reds suffered an early setback by the departure of Johnny Cueto due to a strained muscle in the upper sight of his back, but handled it effectively afterwards.
Compared to Cueto who did not allow any run, keeping his ERA to 2.31, Casey Coleman allowed six costly runs. He was obviously disappointed by this performance.
"I didn't have command," Coleman said. "I felt like I didn't know how to pitch. I had a base open with (Juan) Francisco up. I've faced him in the minor leagues and he hit me pretty good. I've got to be able to pitch around him there."
Cueto, who is currently on top as the ERA leader in the season, had to leave the game in the third inning. "I wanted to stay in but it was sore and painful," Cueto said. "I hope I don't have to miss an outing after I'm examined tomorrow."
As Cueto pounded the Chicago Cubs’ offence and had to leave for an unavoidable reason, Ramon Hernandez compensated that with a huge hit, scoring a three-run homer that put the Reds on the driving seat.
With a 3-0 lead favouring them so early, the Cincinnati Reds did not let Casey Coleman settle. Once the third inning kicked off, Juan Francisco had a two-run single that gave the Reds a comfortable 5-0 lead.
Edgar Renteria took it to 6-0 in the fourth with his single to centre, making it difficult for the Cubs to stage a comeback in the game. Cuteto’s departure due to a strained muscle brought Sam LeCure who pitched a good fifth inning but gave up two runs in
the sixth.
Carlos Pena and Alfonso Soriano had a single each to bring the Reds lead down to 6-2. However, Logan Ondrusek pitched a perfect seventh inning to maintain the Reds’ lead while Kerry Wood pitched a shut-out seventh for the Cubs.
Jose Arredondo was tasked with pitching the ninth after Nick Masset threw a shut-out eighth and Chris Heisey homered to left in the bottom of the eighth to take the lead to 7-2 for the Cincinnati Reds.
Arredondo remained effective and went out aggressively against the seemingly straining Cubs’ offence. Pitching a shut-out, he concluded the game with a 7-2 victory for the Cincinnati Reds to take a 2-1 lead in the four-game series.
The Reds put in a brilliant performance as they thoroughly dominated the Cubs and restricted their offence from coming back in the one-sided game. The Cubs will be looking to improve their performance before their next match-up.
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