What do the Cubs do for an encore? One night after a 16-0 no-hitter win over the Cincinnati Reds, they have nowhere to go but down.
How do the Reds bounce back after as Jay Bruce said,"We were dominated worse than any game I've ever played in?"
Jon Lester held the Reds to three hits as the Cubs beat the Reds for the eighth straight time, 8-1.
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Javier Baez singled off Reds' starter Jon Moscot. He stole second and moved to third on a ground out. David Ross hit a fly to Jay Bruce in short right field toward the line and beat Bruce's throw with an awkward dive to the plate. Anthony Rizzo opened the fourth inning with his sixth home run.
The Cubs got small after Rizzo's blast.
Ben Zobrist walked. Baez forced him at second. Addison Russell singled Baez to third. Ross squeezed Baez home and runners advanced to second and third when Moscot threw the ball past Joey Votto at first. Cubs starter Lester squeezed Russell home.
Moscot finished with five innings. He allowed four runs, three earned on three hits but walked four.
"That's just not a good performance by me," Moscot said. "It's unacceptable not to challenge the hitters. I was nibbling instead of going after hitters."
The Reds' pitchers have given up eight home runs to the Cubs in the two games so far this series. The problem has less to do with talent and more to do with challenging hitters.
"To be successful at this level you have to throw quality strikes to get ahead. If you constantly pitch from behind, you're going to get hit," Bryan Price said. "The have a good lineup over there but we give them too much credit. In order to hit a home run you have to get a good pitch to hit. When you get behind and you have to throw a strike you're going to get hit. If you give them credit, give it to them for not expanding the strike zone and getting themselves out."
Votto settled the no hit business with an opposite field single down the thirdbase line. The Reds went hitless for three more innings when Bruce and Adam Duvall singled to open the fifth. Tyler Holt hit a ball on one hop to Kris Bryant at thirdbase. Bryant went for an around the horn triple play but Holt beat the relay to first.
The Reds got on the board for the first time in 14 innings as Zack Cozart, who had a 10-game hitting streak snapped in Arrieta's no-hitter, hit his first home run of the season. Eugenia Suarez singled but Votto hit into a 4-6-3 double play.
Baez led off the ninth with a home run off J.J. Hoover. The Cubs scored two more runs off Hoover with a single and three straight double.
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