*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*
When the Chicago Cubs lineup starts to hit, boy do they start to hit. Frank Schwindel hit two home runs, Alfonso Rivas drove in two runs, and the Cubs breezed by the Cincinnati Reds with a 11-4 victory on Tuesday night in Cincinnati.
While the Cubs have had an otherwise unforgettable season, they are having a nice run as of late, having won 3 straight games and 6 out of their last 10. They were led by Schwindel, who posted the first two homer game of his major league career in a 7 run rout. Rivas, Seiya Suzuki, and Andrelton Simmons each had two RBI's for the Cubs.
Schwindel said of his two homer game that it was a "Great feeling, especially after putting a lot of hard work in lately. I'm just looking to build off that, keep putting in the work in the cage and hopefully having a lot more results like that."
In the top of the first inning, a sac fly from Suzuki and a two run homer from Schwindel made it a 3-0 Cubs lead early. In the bottom half of the first, Joey Votto and Tyler Stephenson each hit RBI singles, cutting into the deficit and making it a 3-2 game. In the 3rd, Rivas added a two run triple, making it a 5-2 lead for the Cubs.
The Cubs then added 5 more runs in the 5th inning. It started with a solo homer from Schwindel, making it 6-2 Cubs. Simmons then hit a two run single to make it 8-2, followed by an RBI groundout and RBI fielders choice, making it a 10-2 Cubs lead.
In the 8th inning, Tyler Naquin got the Reds another run, hitting a solo home run to center field, cutting the deficit to 10-3. In the 9th, PJ Higgins scored on a sac fly from Rafael Ortega, making it 11-3. Colin Moran then hit an RBI single in the bottom half for the Reds, making it an 11-4 game, and a 7 run Cubs win.
Cubs manager David Ross said of the play of Schwindel that "I think his timing just continues to get better and better every time you see him in the box. He’s on a lot of pitches. I think staying on that breaking ball up the middle was really impressive as well."
Getting the win in his start for the Cubs was Marcus Stroman. He improved to 2-4 on the season, allowing two runs on 4 hits and two walks, striking out 8 hitters over 5 innings. Brandon Hughes added a scoreless 6th inning, before Robert Gsellman got a 3 inning save in relief, allowing two runs.
For the Reds, Tyler Mahle got the start, and he got hit around. Mahle allowed 8 runs on 9 hits, lasting just 4 innings and falling to 2-5 on the season. Luis Cessa then allowed two runs in one inning of work. Joel Kuhnel and Jared Solomon each had scoreless appearances, before infielder Matt Reynolds pitched the 9th inning.
Reds manager David Bell said of Mahle that "He was still competing. You’re going to have nights like that where you can’t find it as far as making the pitches the way you want to, having the velocity that he typically has. You’re going to go through stages in the season where you’re just a little bit more fatigued or whatever the case. We’re so used to Tyler being so on top of his game. Tonight just wasn’t his night."
Up next, the Cubs and Reds continue their series on Wednesday night. Kyle Hendricks will toe the rubber for the Cubs, while the Reds send Luis Castillo to the mound.
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