It’s been a rough first few weeks of the season for Reds right fielder Scott Schebler. But pitcher Bronson Arroyo was fortunate to have Schebler’s contributions supporting his strong start in a 7-5 victory over the Cubs as Cincinnati salvaged one game from its three-game series at Great American Ball Park on Sunday.
After Billy Hamilton gave the Reds a 1-0 lead in the first inning by singling, stealing second and third base and scoring on Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly, Schebler hit a solo home run to right field in the second inning to make it 2-0 against John Lackey. Schebler then added a jam-shot of a bloop single to center field in the fourth to snap a 2-2 tie.
The Reds put away Lackey with a four-run sixth inning. That featured a double by Patrick Kivlehan with the bases loaded that scored all three runners. Lackey, who was hurt by two Cubs errors in the inning, allowed seven runs (five earned) and six hits over six innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.
“Things really haven’t been going my way as far as the plate,” Schebler said. “But I feel like I’ve been playing solid defense and I’m still trying to give the team a chance to win. All we care about here is winning. When we’re winning, everybody is happy.”
A winner for his second straight start, the 40-year-old Arroyo was mostly smooth for six innings, giving up two earned runs and three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. The right-hander retired his first 10 batters before Kris Bryant hit a one-out single and Anthony Rizzo smoked a 1-0 pitch for a two-run homer to right field, his third homer in as many games.
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