Jesse Winker experienced a 20% increase in his season RBI total on one swing.
Winker's grand slam home run was the big blow in the Reds' six-run sixth inning that sent the Reds' to its fourth straight victory, a 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.
Matt Harvey squared off with Kyle Hendricks in a tight game in which the Cubs took the scoring initiative. Harvey plunked Kris Bryant with a pitch one out into the third inning. Jason Heyward hit a single to left center. Javier Baez followed by slicing a two-run double down the right field line.
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The sixth was different.
Billy Hamilton walked for the 28th time this season. Hamilton promptly stole his 14th base. Jose Peraza struck out flailing. Tucker Barnhart flied to left. Joey Votto drew a walk. Scooter Gennett, who at the top of the National League with a .336 batting average and third with 50 RBI, hit a ground ball into the hole off first base. The ball ticked off Anthony Rizzo's glove but Baez pounced on it like a recovered fumble, preventing Hamilton from scoring. Hendricks walked Suarez to hand him his 55th RBI of the season, one behind Trevor Story for the NL lead. Joe Maddon went to his bullpen to choose Randy Rosario, left-hander to face left-handed batting Jesse Winker. Winker put the Reds up 5-2 with a blast into the right field stands. Adam Duvall singled. Pinch hitter Alex Blandino singled Duvall to third. Hamilton drove Duvall home with a single.
"There were so many good at bats in that inning," Jim Riggleman said. "We drew some walks. The big hit speaks for itself with Wink. Suarez was 0-2 in the count and we're losing by a run (actually two runs) and he ends up drawing a walk. That was huge. It's becoming more and more evident the sixth inning is becoming a heck of a time. Fulmer was good through five yesterday and we got him in the sixth. It is a tough one in the modern day. It is a time when pitchers become more vulnerable."
Rosario had an ERA of 0.60 when he came into face Winker. The baseball book shows that left-handed hitters have a difficult time against left-handed pitchers.
"Rosario has a really good arm." Cubs' manager Joe Maddon said before the game. He had given up one run in 15 innings over his 12 appearances.
Riggleman noticed.
"Winker's home run was extremely impressive," Riggleman said. "That kid had a minuscule ERA. He's been dominating for them. Every time I get a glance on him on TV, he's wiping somebody out. Jesse is confident hitter no matter what the numbers say."
Winker was hitting .175 against left-handed pitchers when he stepped to the plate against Rosario, even though he hit a walk off home run off left-hander Chris Rusin on June 7 against Colorado.
"That's always been something in baseball, playing match ups. It's always the smart play," Winker said. "I try to be a tough out against every body and put the barrel of the bat on the ball and keep it simple. The first pitch I took was a slider. I wanted to take it. That's a pretty good pitch. With the bases loaded, I wanted to make him come in."
Critics have said that Winker couldn't hit for power and couldn't hit left-handed pitchers. He has shown evidence that the critics are wrong.
"I don't listen to what people say," Winker insisted. "I listen to my teammates and listen to my coaches. They haven't told me I couldn't do anything. That's big for me. Every one here has helped me out have helped me out immensely. They build me up and tell me what I can do. You probably see more than that than me. I'm not on Twitter intentionally. It seems like there is nothing but negative stuff on there."
The Cubs created two-out trouble for Michael Lorenzen in retaliation. Bryant beat out a slow roller to third. Heyward doubled to send Bryant to third. Lorenzen battled Baez to a 3-2 count before walking him to bring Anthony Rizzo up representing the tying run.
Jim Riggleman brought in Amir Garrett to save the day.
Rizzo missed two fastballs swinging to fall behind 0-2. Garrett painted the corner with a slider to earn a game-saving strike out. He pumped his fists with the out, an action that angered Baez and created a bench clearing loiter around home plate the last time the Cubs were in town by striking out Baez, who did not like being shown up.
"It was really intense," Garrett said. "That's probably the best I've ever located my fastball. I got the outcome I wanted. In a pressure situation like that emotions take over. The Baez thing was a little different. I probably exaggerated that. This time they understood the situation. I just did my thing and walked off."
Jared Hughes rescued Garrett from a two-out, two on problem in the eighth. Hughes returned to the mound in the ninth, facing the top of the Cubs' batting order. Hughes struck out Bryant. Heyaward bounced out to Brandon Dixon at second base. Baez fouled out to Suarez. Hughes picked up his fifth save.
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