Joey Votto, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Will Benson each had two hits and an RBI and six Cincinnati relievers held the Chicago Cubs to one run over 5 2/3 innings of the Reds’ 6-5 road victory Monday night.
Luke Maile added a two-run double for the National League Central-leading Reds, who scored three times each in the second and third innings, then hung on for their ninth win in 12 games.
On the mound, Buck Farmer (3-4), Fernando Cruz, Alex Young, Lucas Sims, Ian Gibaut and Alexis Diaz (32nd save) allowed only Christopher Morel’s RBI double in the eighth and struck out eight as Cincinnati won its fourth straight at Chicago in 2023.
The Reds’ bullpen stepped up after standout rookie Andrew Abbott allowed four runs, five hits and three walks over a season-low 3 1/3 innings. The left-hander, who struck out five, entered with a 1.90 ERA through 10 major league starts.
Yan Gomes had three hits with an RBI and Dansby Swanson clubbed his 13th homer for the Cubs, who have lost two straight after winning eight in a row. Marcus Stroman (10-8) allowed six runs, six hits and two walks with two strikeouts in three innings. He fanned two. The All-Star right-hander has yielded 30 earned runs, 42 hits and 16 walks over 30 innings during his last seven starts.
Stroman retired the first five batters he faced then allowed back-to-back singles to Votto and Encarnacion-Strand in the second. Benson followed with an RBI double, and Maile’s two-base hit plated two for a 3-0 Cincinnati lead.
Swanson snapped Abbott’s 17-inning scoreless streak with a second-inning drive into the left-center-field bleachers.
In the third, Cincinnati’s TJ Friedl walked and eventually scored on a single from Jake Fraley, who then stole second, and after Spencer Steer’s walk, came home on Votto’s hit. Steer scored via Encarnacion-Strand’s fielder’s choice.
Chicago, though, got to Abbott for three runs in its half of the third. Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ delivered consecutive sacrifice flies to make it 6-3. Gomes’ RBI single got the Cubs within two.
The Cubs’ Javier Assad, Daniel Palencia and Mark Leiter Jr. held Cincinnati to two hits and fanned eight over six scoreless innings to keep Chicago close.
–Field Level Media
