Kris Bryant delivered an RBI single against a drawn-in infield to break a 2-2 tie in the top of the 15th before Javier Baez blasted a grand slam off Reds reliever J.J. Hoover as the Cubs outlasted Cincinnati, 7-2, Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park.
“The grand slam obviously was huge just to really build that cushion to permit us to more comfortably go into that last inning, because I had no idea what was going on,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.
All 24 position players on both teams were used, and Maddon also utilized three of his relievers — Travis Wood, Spencer Patton and Pedro Strop — in left field to help Chicago win for the eighth time in nine games against the Reds this season. Patton (1-0) earned the win.
Raisel Iglesias, Tony Cingrani, Josh Smith and Blake Wood combined for eight innings of shutout relief pitching for the Reds before Hoover (1-2) took over in the 15th. The grand slam off the bat of Baez was the sixth allowed by Hoover in his career, a Reds franchise record.
Cubs starter Jon Lester allowed just one run on three hits over 7 2/3 innings and drove in a run with a single in the fifth inning, but he ended up with a no-decision after the Reds rallied to tie the game in the ninth inning off of closer Hector Rondon on a two-out single by Eugenio Suarez. Brandon Phillips, who was celebrating his 35th birthday, dove around the tag of catcher David Ross to beat the throw of left fielder Matt Szczur.
Ben Zobrist started the game just as the Cubs left Monday night’s affair, with a home run. It was his 10th homer and came one night after Chicago hit five long balls in an 11-8 win over the Reds. This was not going to be a night for the offenses, however. Reds starter John Lamb allowed just two runs on six hits while striking out seven in six innings of work before turning things over to the bullpen.
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