Young Tyler Mahle faced the heavy lumber of the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. Cubs hitters hit three home runs on the way to a 6-1 win to take three out of the four games.
In a successful homecoming for Ian Happ of the University of Cincinnati and Kyle Schwarber, the pride of Middletown, Ohio, the Cubs negated the Reds first inning run with a three-run second inning, using the home run ball and a walk.
Cubs' starter Yu Darvish struggled in the first inning to get outs and keep his fielders awake with his deliberate style.
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Ian Happ, who has been on base 11 times with five extra base hits and six walks coming into the game, walked to start the second. Scharber hit his eighth home run of the season and first since April 26 into the bleachers in right. Baez followed with his 11th off the facing of the upper deck in left. It was the Cubs first set of back-to-back home runs of the season. Ben Zobrist hit his second home run of the season, leading off the fifth inning.
Darvish lasted six innings without allowing another hit. He walked three and hit two batters.
Tommy La Stella pinch hit for Darvish, leading off the seventh. As soon as La Stella was announced Jim Riggleman brought in Wandy Peralta to replace Mahle.
Mahle pitched six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks. It was the three home runs that spoiled his outing.
"Tyler is a great competitor. We like having him out there," Reds' manager Jim Riggleman said. "There were a couple of off speed pitches and they got him. Home runs have hurt us and they did today."
Mahle .was asked to work on his slider and change up in the off season. It has improved but is still a work-in-progress.
"If you don't throw good pitches to anybody, you're not going to have a good start. All the home runs were on pitches that weren't located well. Anything slower they are going to see it. When they're left over the plate, that's never good," Mahle said.
Peralta walked La Stella. Votto's wild throw on a slow ground ball hit by Zobrist put Peralta in a second and third, no out jam. Albert Almora Jr. hit a sacrifice fly gave the Cubs their five run. Anthony Rizzo's single provided the sixth run.
David Hernandez finished the inning with no further scoring. He ended the inning by catching Schwarber looking at a strike three. Schwarber hotly contested the call by John Trumpane, who ejected the Middletown Middie and Indiana Hoosier.
Pedtro Strop replaced Darvish. He pitched a scoreless seventh. Carl Edwards Jr. pitched a scoreless eighth.
Jared Hughes got into a jam in the ninth. Almora singled. Willson Contreras doubled with one out. The Reds issued Happ his ninth walk of the four-game series intentionally. Happ was on base 14 times in the set. Victor Caratini hit into a 4-6-3 double play to thwart the threat.
For the series the Reds walked 30 batters, the most in club history for a four game series.
"We walked too many. About six of those were intentional," Riggleman said. "They dominated us. They're a hot club. It's a very good club. When you'[re playing a very good club that is playing good."
The Reds offense sputtered too. Riggleman credited the Cubs pitchers acknowledging that some of his guys are struggling at the plate too.
"The world is enamored with velocity," Riggleman said. "They threw three pitchers at us that really pitched professional style, just pitching. They had enough velocity but they really pitched well. We ran into a hot club and pitched good. Someone threw up these numbers, we had 16 hits in four games. I didn't know it was that bad. We didn't do much offensively."
"Darvish was throwing some off speed stuff and this and that. All of a sudden he decided to throw some hard stuff in an area up around the chest that was very hard to hit and very hard to lay off of." it is going to be tough to win some games. We only got one out of it, certainly we'd have liked to win two or three."
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