Cincinnati @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 2, 2010 ) Cincinnati 12, Chi. Cubs 0
The Chicago Cubs will have to go back to the drawing board if they hope to save face against the Cincinnati Reds. But considering what the Reds have done in the first two games of the series between the division rivals, it won’t be easy.
The Reds turned Friday’s affair into a laugher by scoring nine runs in a pivotal seventh inning of a 12-0 victory as they won their fifth consecutive road game and are 9-2 overall during their last 11 games.
After being held quite for six innings, Cincinnati exploded against starter Ryan Dempster by sending 14 men to the plate in what turned out to be the squad’s biggest inning in five years.
Despite the wheels falling off on the mound, the Cubs’ offense has done little to help keep them in games of late. Chicago managed just a pair of hits in the defeat and has scored just six runs over its past five games, including a 3-2 loss on Thursday to the Reds.
Those struggles have been a large part of the Cubs’ downward spiral as they have lost 10 of 14 and 20 of their past 30 contests overall.
With the win, the Reds (46-35) maintained a 1 ½ game lead over St. Louis in the National League Central, while the Cubs (34-46) dropped 11 ½ games out of first place.
Joey Votto continued his hot hitting ways in the route, belting his 19th home run of the campaign - a two-run shot in the eight - as he reached base for the 40th straight contest. Pete Rose holds the team record by reaching in 48 in a row in 1978.
During his recent streak, Votto is hitting .327 with 11 homers and 33 RBIs.
Doing his best to stop the slugging first baseman will be Cubs starter Randy Wells, who is 3-6 with 4.96 ERA through 16 starts. The 27-year-old right-hander is suffering through a dry spell as he hasn’t won since April 30, a span of 11 outings.
Wells pitched well enough to win in his last outing but took a no-decision against Pittsburgh despite allowing just a run on three hits in six innings. He has pitched good against the Reds lately, going 2-0 with a 2.66 ERA last year.
Reds starter Johnny Cueto has enjoyed opposite luck of Wells in what has been a dominant campaign. Cueto (8-2, 3.74) has lost just once in his previous 12 starts.
The 24-year-old right-hander has surrendered only two runs in 19 2/3 innings coming in.