Reds fall to Cubs
Published 2:07 pm Thursday, May 18, 2017
CHICAGO (AP) — Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber drove in two runs apiece, and the Chicago Cubs handed the sloppy Cincinnati Reds their season-high fifth straight loss with a 7-5 victory on Wednesday night.
Kyle Hendricks (3-2) pitched six effective innings and drove in a run as Chicago improved to 22-5 in its last 27 games against Cincinnati. Ben Zobrist reached three times with two hits and a walk in his return to the lineup after missing two games with lower back tightness.
Zack Cozart had three hits and two RBIs for Cincinnati, but Adam Duvall committed a big error in left field and the Reds missed a couple more plays on defense that led to productive innings for the Cubs. Cozart connected for a solo shot in the third that extended his Wrigley Field homer streak to five games, matching a record for any player at the iconic ballpark.
Cozart put Cincinnati in front with an RBI single in the first, but Chicago went ahead to stay with five runs in the second against Scott Feldman (2-4).
Reds first baseman Joey Votto tried for a backhand stab on Schwarber’s hard-hit grounder, but it skipped by him for a tiebreaking two-run single. Rizzo’s two-run single went off the glove of second baseman Jose Peraza in shallow right field, helping the Cubs open a 5-1 lead.
Chicago added two unearned runs in the third after Duvall misplayed Miguel Montero’s fly ball for Cincinnati’s NL-low 17th error. Hendricks drove in Zobrist with a well-placed sacrifice bunt, and Jon Jay added an RBI single.
Feldman allowed seven runs, five earned, and five hits in 2 2/3 innings in his shortest start of the season. The right-hander was 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his previous two outings.
Cincinnati pulled within two on Eugenio Suarez’s two-run double in the seventh, but Chicago’s bullpen shut the door from there. Carl Edwards Jr. worked a perfect eighth and Wade Davis got three outs for his ninth save.