Sevens were the lucky number for the Reds on Sunday.
The Reds exploded for seven runs in the seventh inning to complete the sweep of the Chicago Cubs 8-6 and extended the season-long winning streak to seven games.
The Reds had to dig themselves out of an early five-run hole to earn the comeback win, the 12th in the last 14 games. It was also the first four-game sweep of the Cubs since April 1983 at Riverfront Stadium.
"We were focused on today's game," manager Jim Riggleman said. "It wasn't about a sweep. The other games we were up and played pretty flawless. Today we were down but we kept pushing."
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Romano worked eight innings in Kansas City, allowing one run on for hits. He pitched seven scoreless innings against Detroit on Tuesday, allowing four hits.
Romano kept the Cubs in check for three innings although they got three hits. Albert Almora Jr. singled to lead off the game and with one-out in the third. Javier Baez hit a double past Eugenio Suarez at third base and down the line. Adam Duvall, who was at the top of the league in outfield assists, chased the ball in the corner and hit Jose Peraza with the relay in plenty of time to throw Almora out at home.
Since Hunter Dozier hit a solo home run off Romano on June 12 in Kansas City, Romano pitched 14 consecutive scoreless innings.
The Cubs solved Romano in the fifth. Ian Happ and Addison Russel singled to start the inning. Romano nearly escaped. He struck out Mike Montgomery the opposing pitcher who failed to bunt the runners up a base. Almora lined out to left but Heyward lined a double to left-center that Duvall nearly put a glove on. Javier Baez lined a run scoring single over Joey Votto's glove. Anthony Rizzo broke an 0-for-12 series slump with a line home run to the right field bleachers, his 12th of the season.
"Sal was so clean for the first four but he threw a lot of bad pitches that inning. Two ground ball hits, that's baseball. That's what we want him to do," Riggleman said. "They tried to bunt the runner over and he got the strikeout. It was really not a good pitch in that situation. He didn't get away with any bad pitches the rest of the inning."
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"I'm a pitch away from getting out of it with zero runs," Romano said. "You have to take the positives. My stuff was pretty good. The guys came back and got me off the hook. Swinging the bats like they did in the seventh inning was a lot of fun to watch."
The Reds got a single from Scott Schebler just back from bereavement leave. Suarez, Scooter Gennett and Duvall hit the ball hard as consecutive batters but Tommy LaStella laid out to catch Suarez bid for an RBI single. Kyle Schwarber made a diving catch of Gennett's liner. Almora tracked down Duvall's bid for an extra base hit.
Michael Lorenzen hit a pinch hit home run off Montgomery in the bottom of the fifth. It was Lorenzen;s third career home run, first of the season and second career pinch hit home run. Reds pitchers have homered on successive days. Anthony DeSclafani hit a grand slam on Saturday.,
The Reds didn't want to burn a pinch hitter in the fifth inning with two outs and the bases empty, so Lorenzen, who could have been a Major League position player, was the choice to bat for Romano.
"I was hitting with my main man Tony Jaramillo in the cage. They told me with two outs I was going up there so we don't have to burn a pinch hitter. What Desco did yesterday was unbelievable," Lorenzen said. "In a game like today we feel like we're not meant to lose.,
Almora hit his third home run of the season off Jackson Stephens, who ended up with the win.
The Reds came back strong against Montgomery and Pedro Strop in the seventh inning.
Gennett started the inning with a single. Adam Duvall doubled down the left field line to set up a second and third situation with no outs. Jose Peraza dumped a flair into right to plate Gennett. Jesse Winker pinch hit for Brandon Dixon, who entered as part of a double switch, when Strop entered. Winker, who hit a grand slam off the Cubs Randy Rosario on Thursday night, hit a three-run home run into the left field stands. It was his fifth home run of the season.
"When Wink sits he's particularly productive off the bench," Riggleman said. "We've never quit we've always battle. It's major league baseball. You better keep playing for nine innings. We had that stretch where our starters, we were down three or four runs in the early innings. We were competitive and came back in some of them. As of late we haven't had to do that. The starters have done a good job."
But wait there's more. Billy Hamilton extended his hitting streak to seven games with a solid single to center. Schebler walked. Tucker Barnhart singled to tie the game as Hamilton easily beat Almora's throw. Votto doubled sending Schebler home with the go-ahead run. Votto beat the throw to second on a close play that held up to a review. Strop gathered himself and struck out Alex Blandino for the first out. The Cubs put Gennett on base intentionally. Duvall lined out to shortstop Peraza worked a full count and took ball four to drive in Barnhart. Rosario and Winker gave a reprise to the dramatic matchup on Thursday. This time Rosario hit the corner with a called third strike to end the rally.
"We know what we can do," Winkier said. "It is cool coming to the field and expect to win. We're in June right now. We are taking care of June. To win a game it takes a group effort. There's plenty of season left we're going to keep grinding good at bats. It's been a lot of fun."
Amir Garrett took the mound in the eighth. He struck out Rizzo as he did Thursday in a key situation. Willson Contreras doubled. Garrett fanned Schwarber. Happ, who reached base four times on Saturday and the first to plate appearances in this game, struck out to end the inning.
Raisel Iglesias converted his fourth save in a row and 13th of 15.
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