CINCINNATI — Ian Happ, Willson Contreras and Franmil Reyes homered, and the Chicago Cubs beat the stumbling Cincinnati Reds 7-2 on Saturday night.
Happ hit an RBI single in the fifth inning and a three-run shot in the seventh, continuing his long run of success in Cincinnati. The All-Star outfielder, who starred at the University of Cincinnati before the Cubs selected him in the first round of the 2015 draft, has 16 career homers at Great American Ball Park.
Advertisement
Reyes’ two-run blast in the fourth was his first homer since he was claimed off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians on Monday.
Kyle Farmer had two hits and two RBIs for the last-place Reds, who have dropped five straight and seven of 10. Graham Ashcraft (5-3) was charged with four runs, three earned, and six hits in 6 ⅓ innings.
Advertisement
The Cubs and Reds resumed their series in Cincinnati after playing in Thursday night’s Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.
After Farmer cut the Cubs’ lead to 3-2 with an RBI single in the fifth, Sean Newcomb replaced Adrian Sampson and struck out three straight batters to strand two runners. Newcomb (1-0) had five strikeouts in two innings for the win.
Reyes lifted the Cubs to a 2-1 lead with an opposite-field drive into the visitors’ bullpen in the right-field corner in the fourth. It was his 10th homer of the season.
Happ’s 10th home run made it 6-2, and Contreras tacked on a solo drive in the ninth, his 17th.