Playoff-hungry Reds, Cubs battle in series finale


The Cincinnati Reds look to safe a crucial collection win over the Nationwide League Central rival Chicago Cubs at dwelling on Sunday within the finale of a four-game collection.

Cincinnati (71-67) rallied after going scoreless in eight innings towards Chicago starter Javier Assad on Saturday, scratching out a pair of ninth-inning runs off of Mark Leiter Jr. for a 2-1 win.

“These younger guys proper right here have a ton of coronary heart. Confirmed the final two video games what we’re fabricated from,” Hunter Renfroe, who legged out a walk-off fielder’s alternative on Saturday, instructed Bally Sports activities Cincinnati in a postgame interview.

Renfroe was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, whereas the Reds additionally added Harrison Bader off waivers from the New York Yankees. Each performed key roles on Saturday, with Bader stealing third as a pinch runner within the ninth.

The Reds additionally received the second recreation of Friday’s doubleheader, 3-2, because of late-game heroics. Cincinnati scored a pair of runs within the backside of the ninth, capped by Noelvi Marte’s two-out, game-winning single.

“We pitched properly each video games. Giving up three and two (runs) and coming away with losses is hard,” Cubs supervisor David Ross mentioned. “We swung the bats rather well coming into the collection, (however it) did not pan out (Friday) or (Saturday).”

The consecutive losses price Chicago floor in its pursuit of division-leading Milwaukee, which moved to 4 1/2 video games forward of the Cubs with wins over Philadelphia on Friday and Saturday. Cincinnati is 6 1/2 video games behind Milwaukee heading into Sunday.

Carson Spiers makes his main league debut and will get the beginning for Cincinnati in pursuit of the collection win. The 25-year-old right-hander was known as up from Double-A Chattanooga this week on account of a COVID-19 outbreak among the many Reds‘ pitching employees.

Initially scheduled Sunday starter Brandon Williamson landed on the seven-day COVID injured listing with starters Hunter Greene and Ben Energetic, in addition to reliever Fernando Cruz, per the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Spiers was 8-3 with a 3.69 ERA and 106 strikeouts over 83 innings this season for Chattanooga.

Jameson Taillon (7-9, 5.62 ERA) makes the beginning for Chicago (72-64) trying to rating his first win since Aug. 8.

Taillon has a no-decision and three losses in his final 4 begins, the newest of which got here in his final look on Monday towards Milwaukee. The appropriate-hander gave up 5 runs (4 earned) and 9 hits over six innings towards the Brewers.

Taillon’s win over the New York Mets on Aug. 8 was the final time he pitched greater than six innings, going seven in a 3-2 Cubs win. That efficiency got here amid a collection loss — the final time Chicago got here out of a collection with any worse than the break up.

Although Taillon has struggled in latest weeks, he scored the win in his final look towards Cincinnati on Aug. 3 in Chicago. His five-strikeout effort over 5 innings improved him to 5-5 with a 4.57 ERA in 15 profession begins towards the Reds.

Taillon is 1-0 in two begins towards Cincinnati this season. He struck out 5 over 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision in Chicago on Might 27 when he allowed 4 runs and 6 hits.

—Discipline Degree Media