Javier Baez' eighth inning grand slam turned a pitcher's duel into a 6-0 rout by the Chicago Cubs.
Baez unloaded his 20th home run into the right field stands off Jared Hughes. Baez had three hits in 13 at bats against Hughes but his home run was the second off Hughes.
Tempers flared in the bottom of the eighth. Pedro Strop hit Yasiel Puig with a pitch in the thigh. Puig launched the batting helmet in Strop's direction as Anthony Rizzo cut off Puig before he got to Strop. There were no ejections after benches and bullpens emptied onto the field.
It wasn't the end though.
Dillon Maples pitched the ninth and retired the first two batters but hit Jose Peraza with a pitch. It was the third Cincinnati hitter hit in the game. Derek Dietrich was hit in the seventh by Steve Cishek. David Bell complained to Mark Wegner and was ejected for the sixth time. Wegner warned both benches received a warning after Puig went on the field. Maples was just called up and has a reputation for a lack of control.
Bell went out to insist that Maples be tossed from the game but Wegner declined.
"I didn't believe it was intentional," Wegner said.
Strop blamed Puig for creating unnecessary drama.
"He just reacted like that. I don't know why," Strop said. "He just acts stupid. I don't know what else to say about it. It's not a secret he's stupid. I have nothing against him but he's stupid."
Puig denied there was a history with Strop, who hit him with a 3-0 pitch. “I don’t know," Puig said. "You’ll have to ask him. Me and my teammates just want to go out tomorrow and win the game and win the series and forget what happened today."
“At the end of the day, nothing happened. Nobody got hurt. What’s important tomorrow is to go out and win the game and win the series. That’s more important than fighting with the other team.”
Bell carried the argument past Wegner's patience.
“I don’t like it when our guys get hit. I care about our players," Bell said. "He (Wegner) said he didn’t think he did it on purpose. The bottom line is I don’t like it when our players get hit.”
Jason Heyward's 13th home run off Castillo was the only score for six innings.
The Reds stranded two runners in the first, third, sixth and eighth. The Cubs hit into rally killing double plays in the third and fifth innings as both Quintana and Castillo made big pitches when they were in jams.
The biggest threat Castillo faced was in the fifth inning. Heyward walked to open the inning. Addison Russel hit a slow roller to Eugenio Suarez at third. Suarez couldn't make the throw in time and held it. Albert Almora Jr. hit a bouncing ball to Suarez' left. The third baseman bobbled the ball for an error that loaded the bases. Castillo struck Quintana out. Kyle Schwarber hit a ground ball to Scooter Gennett, who had to back up before making the flip to Jose Iglesias at shortstop. Iglesias throw nipped Schwarber at first. The call held up under review.
“He made a lot of big pitches – got some double plays and big outs," Bell said. "He made pitches when he had to. He was back on track today.”
Castillo had a rough outing his last time out in Milwaukee.
“He (Derek Johnson) kept reminding me in the dugout about what we worked on during the game,” Castillo said through interpreter Julio Morillo. "The slider was really good today, too. I was trying to mix up my pitches, and that was working really well for me.”
Steve Cishek took over for Quintana to start the seventh.
Castillo allowed just the one run on three hits and three walks in a six strikeout performance.
David Hernandez started the fateful eighth inning. Pinch hitter David Bote singled. Hernandez struck out Schwarber but Kris Bryant doubled. David Bell played the percentages and brought Zach Duke into the fray to pitch to Anthony Rizzo. Coming into the game, Duke retired Rizzo 15 times in 16 at bats with a couple walks. Duke loaded the bases with a four-pitch pass to the Cubs' slugger. Bell went to Hughes, the ground ball specialist but the plan back fired.
The Cubs added a run in the ninth on an RBI double by Schwarber against Bob Stephenson.
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