Reds crush Cubs, stay atop NL Central
On July 4th in Chicago it was the bats of the Cincinnati Reds that provided the fireworks as they crushed the Cubs in spectacular fashion, winning 14-3 to finish their four-game road trip against the Cubs 3-1.
Drew Stubbs managed to hit three home runs, and his team mates contributed another four for a season-high seven home runs for Cincinnati.
Cubs starter Ted Lilly managed to hold off the bats of the Reds to an extent until the seventh innings. He conceded Stubbs’ first homer of the evening in the third, a solo shot, then let in two runs in the fourth off of a triple before conceding a two-run shot in the top of the sixth.
But he was left in the game, and managed to get two outs in the seventh before the Reds exploded. Brandon Phillips hit a solo shot off of Lilly, who left in the game still, before he allowed Omar Cabrera to score off of a single by Paul Janish. Janish was then knocked in on a two-run shot by Jonny Gomes, ending Lilly’s night.
The relief pitchers did little better, conceding two more home runs in the seventh and one more in the ninth to end a miserable night for the 35-47 Cubs.
Cincinnati strengthens play-off position
After the game, Stubbs credited his, and his team-mates' success on the fast winds that were blowing at Wrigley Field on Sunday.
“You could tell in [batting practice] it was going to be a good day for hitters,” Stubbs said. “The wind blowing out the way it was, all you’re looking to do is get pitches up and try to be on the ball. Not only myself, but a number of other guys were able to do that today.”
The bats of the Reds have been looking quite good as of late, having exploded for 12 runs against the Cubs on Friday, and 10 runs against Cleveland on June 25.
After the match Lilly could only rue what Cincinnati was able to do to his pitching and his relievers.
“They were having fun, for sure,” Lilly said. “I think we did our part to help them from a pitching standpoint. On the same token you have to give them credit, they didn’t miss too many pitches left over the plate.”
Crucial series against the Mets
Next up for the Reds is another road trip, this time against the New York Mets. The Mets, whose record is nearly identical at 46-36 to the Reds’ 47-36 tally, will be a crucial test headed towards the post-season. They’ll have the misfortune of facing 10-2 starter Mike Pelfrey for the Mets in their first match.
After playing three straight days in New York, Cincinnati moves on to play their divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies. With both of these teams chasing the Atlanta Braves for top spot in the NL East, and both of them sitting above .500, the Reds will face a tough challenge in having to plays 11 games in 11 days, with seven of them coming against two play-off hungry teams.
But the Reds will need to play strong to stay above St. Louis in the NL Central division. Sunday’s game ought to give them plenty of encouragement that they can keep their bats hot when they need to. Previously on Friday they’d put together a nine-run seventh inning. Cubs manager Lou Pinella lamented his team’s inability to get out of tough jams and duplicate the Reds success at using the wind.
“It got ugly towards the end again. It reminds us of the Friday game,” Piniella said. “You would think we could get a few balls up in the air and let them ride out of here.”
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