Dansby Swanson homered for the fourth time in three days, newcomer Jeimer Candelario recorded his second straight four-hit game and the host Chicago Cubs routed the Cincinnati Reds for the second night in a row, this time 16-6 on Wednesday.
Christopher Morel homered and drove in three runs, Ian Happ clubbed two late solo homers and Seiya Suzuki also went deep for the Cubs, who overcame deficits of 3-0 and 5-2.
Chicago broke things open with five runs in the sixth and four in the seventh to follow up Tuesday’s 20-9 victory for their 12th win in their last 15 games — and get within three games of National League Central-leading Cincinnati.
In the sixth, Chicago’s Yan Gomes extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a tiebreaking RBI double, Suzuki then drove in Gomes with a single, and after an infield single by Candelario, Mike Tauchman’s doubled in Suzuki for an 8-5 lead. The Cubs added two more in the inning on the first of three errors by Cincinnati third baseman Nick Senzel.
Another Tauchman RBI double and three more Reds’ errors highlighted Chicago’s four-run seventh.
The Cubs’ 36 runs over the last two games are their most in a two-game span since 1900.
All five runs allowed by Chicago’s starter, left-hander Drew Smyly, came via three homers. Smyly lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and no walks with seven strikeouts. However, winning pitcher Michael Fulmer (2-5) and three more Cubs relievers held Cincinnati to one run from there.
Joey Votto hit a two-run homer and a solo shot, his 20th multi-homer game, for the Reds. Spencer Steer added a two-run bomb and TJ Friedl added a solo homer to account for all of Cincinnati’s runs.
The Reds have lost two straight for the first time since ending a six-game skid on July 19. Cincinnati rookie left-hander Brandon Williamson allowed five runs, including two homers, and struck out seven in 4 1/3 innings.
Steer’s two-run, first-inning blast and Votto’s solo drive in the second gave Cincinnati a 3-0 lead. However, after a leadoff double by Candelario in the third, Morel nearly hit the left field video board with a two-out homer, his 17th of the season.
Votto again took Smyly deep, this time with a man on, in the fourth. Then Swanson cut the Cubs’ deficit to 5-3 via his 16th homer in the bottom of the inning.
The Cubs tied it in the fifth on Morel’s RBI double and Cody Bellinger’s RBI groundout against Cincinnati’s Buck Farmer (3-5).
–Field Level Media
