KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Sweep Chicago Cubs

Get the brooms out! The Cincinnati Reds completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field for the first time since 2013. Now 17-14 in their last 31 games, the Reds are quietly right in the thick of the National League Central race. They are now 24-29 on the season and just four games behind the first place Milwaukee Brewers. The Pittsburgh Pirates remain in second place with a two and a half game lead on Cincinnati.

The Reds didn’t just sweep the Cubs, they did so in dominant fashion. 25 runs off of 45 hits in a three game span is as consistent of offense as the ball club has produced all season long. Nick Senzel is scorching hot at the plate. Matt McLain is now batting .380 at the big league level. Spencer Steer is looking like a legitimate three hole batter. Finally, Jonathan India continues to perform like one of Major League Baseball’s premier leadoff hitters. Things are absolutely trending up right now for Cincinnati.

After taking a day to celebrate the sweep, the Reds will head from one iconic ballpark to another. Next up is a three-game series at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. Ben Lively is set to take the mound at 7:10 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday night. Luke Weaver and Hunter Greene are also scheduled to make starts while in Boston. The Red Sox will enter the series with a 28-25 record.

Reds Flirt With No-Hitter, Shutout Cubs to Begin Series

Hunter Greene seems to be settling into his own on the mound. The Cincinnati Reds flame throwing young star turned in his best performance of the season on Friday night to finally record his first win. Greene threw six no-hit innings while striking out 11 batters in a dominant showing against the Cubs. It was his second straight strong start lowering his earned run average to 4.18 as he improved to 1-4.

At the plate, Greene received run support early and often. Spencer Steer got the party started in the top of the first with a RBI triple. He then came around to score on a Tyler Stephenson single that made it 2-0 Reds. In the middle innings the bats continued to pour it on as Greene shut the Cubs down on the mound. Nick Senzel, Jose Barrero, Jonathan India, and Stephenson all drove in runs in the third and fourth innings. Then, Kevin Newman came through with a run scoring double in the fifth that made it a 7-0 ball game. Curt Casali added two more to the count in the top of the ninth, but those insurance runs obviously weren’t needed.

Eduardo Salazar continued the combined no-hitter through seven innings before Christopher Morel single to begin the eighth. However, his two innings of work bridged the gap to Fernando Cruz who shut things down in the bottom of the ninth to complete the shutout. Cincinnati would take game one by a score of 9-0.

Jonathan India Powers Reds to Series Victory

This game started in typical Chicago Cubs versus Cincinnati Reds fashion. Veteran outfielder Ian Happ, a noted Reds killer, doubled to score a run in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. After Nick Senzel answered with a RBI in the top of the second, the Cubs scored three in the bottom half of the inning to go on top 4-1. However, the Cincinnati bats were not ready to cool down.

Jonathan India drove in a run in the third inning to cut the deficit to two runs. Then, in the fifth, Matt McLain singled to score TJ Friedl before Jonathan India parked a two run shot in the right field bleachers to lift the Reds in front 5-4. They would never look back from there. Curt Casali added a RBI single in the sixth and India blasted two-run shot in the seventh to make it 8-4. All of that additional run support rendered Ian Happ’s late sacrifice fly useless. India finished the game 3-5 at the plate with a pair of home runs and five runs batted in as the Reds would take game two 8-5.

Lefty Alexis Young pitched a clean eighth inning to set up Alexis Diaz for the save opportunity in the ninth. Diaz was up for the task striking out two batters on the way to recording his 11th save of the season. Saturday evening’s win guaranteed Cincinnati their first series win since taking two out of three from the Marlins.

SWEEEEEEEEEP!!!

There aren’t enough superlatives to throw at Cincinnati Reds rookie Matt McClain at this point. The hot-hitting middle infielder produced his first career four-hit game on Sunday afternoon less than a month after making his debut. McClain is now batting .380 through 12 games at the big league level. His 4-5 day at the plate certainly helped the Reds complete the sweep of the Chicago Cubs. However, it was Nick Senzel and Spencer Steer who did the most damage driving in runs.

Senzel got Cincinnati on the board first with a RBI single to left field in the top of the second inning. Jake Fraley would drive in a run via a ground as well to take a 2-0 advantage. After the Cubs briefly took a 3-2 lead on a three-run home run by Patrick Wisdom, it was McClain that evened the score right away in the next frame. After tying it at 3-3 in the third, the Reds would jump ahead on a TJ Friedl double in the fifth and take off from there. Spencer Steer came through with a two-run home run in the sixth and Senzel drove in another run in the seventh before the final score settled in at 8-5 for the second straight contest against the rival Cubs.

On the mound, it wasn’t Graham Ashcraft’s best performance, but he battled through five innings allowing three runs on five hits. He would earn the victory to move to 3-3 on the season with a 5.55 earned run average. Behind him, Lucas Sims and Ian Giaut were solid in the sixth and seventh innings. Kevin Herget gave up two runs on another Patrick Wisdom home run in the eighth, but Alexis Diaz was ready to slam the door shut in the ninth. The Reds closer recored all three outs via strikeout to earn his 12th save.