Ian Happ drove in four runs with a double and three-run home run to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 7-4 win in the first game of the four-game series. Happ was a star at the University of Cincinnati roughly five miles from Great American Ball Park.
The Cubs took Happ with the first pick in the 2015 draft in the 2015 draft, two picks before the Reds tabbed Tyler Stephenson in the draft. Happ has played 35 games at GABP since then. He came into the game hitting at a .342 clip. After the smoke cleared, Happ, native of Lebanon, Pennsylvania has 14 home runs, 29 RBI and 24 extra base hits at the Reds' home park.
"The history I've found there is always some place where you feel better, your home ballpark, where you
grew up," Cubs manager David Ross said. "I always felt when I went home to Atlanta and I thought I've
always hit well here. I wondered why is that. Is it the field? Is it I like being near w team, I grew up
watching? Whatever that is, I feel there is something to that for sure. Being from close by here and playing
college ball here at Cincy, It makes sense that this is some--where he likes to come and play."
Patrick Wisdom hit a three-run home run off Vladimir Gutierrez to complete a four-run rally that put the Cubs in command.
"I was trying to do the same thing that time through the order as I did the first time. The second double
(by Happ) was a curve ball below the strike zone. He just made a good swing. The pitch to Wisdom,
DJ told me to throw a pitch down and away. That obviously isn't what happened. It looked like he got a
pitch he was looking for the way he shot it out to right," Gutierrez said.
The Reds were going to use Gutierrez out of the bullpen and insert Connor Overton in the starting s
but Overton has back problems that put him on the 60-day injured list. Gutierrez went 12 days without
pitching.
"Gutierrez was really good early, probably the best we've seen him all year. I think he had so much time
off that it caught up to him," David Bell said.
Cubs starter Drew Smyly held off the Reds for five innings. Brandon Drury doubled in the first inning and Smyly walked two batters to fill the bases before he struck out Aristides Aquino to escape harm.
Guterrez retired the first six batters until he walked Alfonso Rivas to open the third inning but he got two quick outs before walking Rafael Ortega. Gutierrez fanned Jonathan Villar to escape the mild threat.
Next came the fateful fourth. Japanese sensation Seiya Suzuki doubled off the wall in left center. Ian Happ, who sent Reds' center fielder Nick Senzel to the fence in the second inning, found the gap with a double to drive in Suzuki. Gutierrez nearly escaped by getting two quick outs. Rivas hit a ground ball to Mike Moustakas at third base. The veteran couldn't field it and deflected it to shortstop Matt Reynolds. It was ruled a hit. Wisdom followed with a line drive to the seats in right for his 10th of the season. It was his fourth straight game with a home run.
Smyly gave up a single to Moustakas leading off the second after catcher Yon Gomes dropped a foul pop up. Smyly retired 13 straight batters until Tommy Pham belted his fifth home run of the year. Smyly hit Joey Votto with a pitch but struck out Tyler Stephenson. Aquino, hitting .089 at the start of the game, launched his second home run into the Reds' bullpen to make it a one-run game.
Aquino, who was designated for assignment on April 30th hit two home runs. His second and third of the season. The Reds risked losing him by exposing him to waivers but he cleared them on May 7.
"Aquino stayed after it and finally got a hit he could handle. It will be nice to get him going.
He can do a lot of things. He's a good athlete, a good defender. He runs the bases well.
We have had to make a lot of decisions fast to win ball game," Bell said. "Sometimes it iust takes a while
to get into the season. You need opportunities.``He went to Triple A and handled it really well. He was
working hard."
Aquino went to Louisville and hit .314 in 10 games with four home runs and 10 RBI. He stole two bases.
"When you have a night like that it reminds me to have confidence.," Aquino said. "I really feel better
at the plate. I really try to be consistent at the plate and swing at good pitches. When I faced him the
first at bat He threw me a lot of pitches off the front leg. I told myself that he had to throw a pitch
over the plate. He didn't want to throw me that."
The 28-year old, who signed with the Reds at the age of 17 from the Dominican Republic, is a popular player with his teammates. They greeted him with joy when he returned to the dugout.
"It was great to see my teammates react to me," Aquino said. "They know I've put in a lot of
hard work."
No comments:
Post a Comment