The offense has been slogging and notched only four hits in Tuesday’s game. But it only took one clutch hit and Homer Bailey’s superb pitching to secure a 3-1 Reds win over the Cubs, which lowered the Reds’ magic number to clinch the National League Central division to four. They could claim the division Thursday by completing a sweep of the Cubs, but they’d need the Cardinals to lose the last two games of their series with the Astros.
The Reds (89-59) also moved to within one game of the Nationals (89-57) for baseball’s best record and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Washington’s game vs. the Dodgers was rained out on Tuesday.
“We got just enough offense to win,” said Reds manager Dusty Baker, who managed the 3,000th game of his career.
Cincinnati was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded six, but that one hit was big. Ryan Hanigan hit a bases-loaded double that scored all three Reds runs.
Wild with breaking pitches but throwing up zeros for his first five innings, Cubs starter Justin Germano walked all three batters he faced in the sixth — Joey Votto, Ryan Ludwick and Jay Bruce — to load the bases.
After reliever Manuel Corpas replaced Germano, Scott Rolen flied to center field, but the ball didn’t carry deep enough to let Votto tag up and score. Hanigan then connected on a first pitch from Corpas and drove it deep to right-center field to clear the bases.
“It felt good. Bases loaded, it’s got to come to you in that situation,” said Hanigan, who is batting .342 over his last 26 games. “I was trying to get the ball in the outfield and drive it out there. Fortunately, it got over their heads and worked out.”
In their last eight games, the Reds are batting .211 (60-for-284), and that includes the 17-hit output in the 11-inning win at Miami on Sunday. Yet, they are 5-3 in that stretch while the pitching staff has a 3.16 ERA.
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