CINCINNATI (AP) — Elly De La Cruz hit a three-run homer on the anniversary of his major league debut and the Cincinnati Reds won a season-high fifth straight game, 8-4 over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night.

TJ Friedl, Jonathan India and Will Benson also drove in runs as the Reds followed a three-game sweep in Colorado with a win over the NL Central rival Cubs in the first of a four-game series.

Hunter Greene (4-2) struck out eight while allowing four runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Three Reds relievers combined to keep the Cubs hitless the rest of the way, with closer Alexis Diaz issuing a walk before striking out three straight batters to end it.

Home runs accounted for all of Chicago’s runs, a two-run, upper-deck blast by Seiya Suzuki in the third inning and a 415-foot, two-run shot to center by Christopher Morel in the sixth.

Cubs starter Javier Assad (4-2) allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and two walks.

Reliever Porter Hodge’s third straight walk forced in a run with two outs in the Reds’ seventh, and Will Benson followed with a two-run single to right to extend the Cincinnati lead.

The 22-year-old De La Cruz got the Reds on the board in the third inning with his team-leading 11th homer of the year, a shot to right field that came off the bat at 114.7 mph.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: RHP Emilio Pagán (right triceps tightness) was activated from the 15-day disabled list. Right-handed starter Graham Ashcraft (4-3, 5.05 ERA) was sent to Triple-A Louisville to make room on the roster. The 26-year-old Ashcraft has failed to pitch through six innings in his last six starts.

UP NEXT

The Cubs send lefty Justin Steele (0-2, 4.10 ERA, 36 Ks) to the mound to face Reds lefty Nick Lodolo (5-2, 3.11, 49 Ks) as the series continues on Friday night.

Chicago						Cincinnati
	ab	r	h	bi			ab	r	h	bi
Tauchman rf	3	0	0	0		Friedl cf	4	1	1	1
Suzuki dh	4	1	2	2		De La Cruz ss	5	1	1	3
Bellinger 1b	4	1	1	0		Candelario 3b	3	0	1	0
Morel 3b	3	1	1	2		Dunn pr-lf	1	1	0	0
Happ lf	4	0	0	0		Steer 1b	4	0	0	0
Hoerner 2b	2	0	0	0		Fraley dh	3	1	1	0
Swanson ss	4	0	0	0		Stephenson c	2	2	2	0
Crw-Armstrong cf	4	0	0	0		Hurtubise lf	1	1	0	0
Amaya c	3	1	1	0		Espinal 3b	0	0	0	0
Busch ph	1	0	0	0		India 2b	3	0	1	2
						Benson rf	4	1	2	2
Totals	32	4	5	4		Totals	30	8	9	8

Chicago	002	002	000	—	4
Cincinnati	003	002	30x	—	8

LOB–Chicago 5, Cincinnati 7. 2B–Suzuki (7), Bellinger (11), Friedl (2). HR–Suzuki (7), Morel (12), De La Cruz (11). SB–Hoerner (7), Tauchman (5), Benson (9). S–Hurtubise 2 (4).

	IP		H	R	ER	BB	SO

Chicago
Assad L,4-2	5	2-3	7	5	5	2	7
Little		1-3	1	1	1	1	0
Hodge		2-3	0	2	2	3	0
Hendricks	1	1-3	1	0	0	0	0

Cincinnati
Greene W,4-2	6	2-3	5	4	4	2	8
Cruz H,11		1-3	0	0	0	0	1
Moll	1		0	0	0	0	1
Díaz	1		0	0	0	1	3

HBP–Greene (Hoerner), Assad (Stephenson). WP–Cruz.

Umpires–Home, Adrian Johnson; First, Junior Valentine; Second, Ramon De Jesus; Third, David Rackley.

T–2:33. A–25,601 (43,891).