Game Sixteen – Cubs 7, Reds 3 – 11 innings
WP – Jason Motte (1-0) LP – Burke Badenhop (0-1) Save – None
Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Chris Coghlan hit a solo homer in the seventh that tied the game at three. Jonathan Herrera singled in Rizzo with the winning run in the 11th and the Cubs tacked on three more runs to take game one of the weekend series from the Reds on Friday night.
With the game tied at three and one out in the 11th inning, Anthony Rizzo singled to center. Kris Bryant (2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored) singled to center. Jonathan Herrera singled to right on the eighth pitch of the at bat. Rizzo scored and the Cubs took a 4-3 lead. After Starlin Castro (0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored) was intentionally walked to load the bases, David Ross doubled off the top of the right field wall. Bryant and Herrera scored, 6-3 Cubs. Travis Wood put the ball in play with Castro on third. And his broken bat grounder to the mound allowed Castro to score the Cubs fourth run in their last at bat.
Friday’s extra innings win over the Reds was a total team effort. Joe Maddon received production and contributions from unexpected sources. Jonathan Herrera (1-for-1 with a RBI) drove in Anthony Rizzo (3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, two RBI, a walk and a stolen base) with the go ahead run in his only at bat of the night. David Ross (1-for-5 with a double and two RBI) just missed a grand slam in the 11th and settled for a two-run double and Travis Wood (0-for-1 with a RBI) collected a pinch-hit RBI with a groundout in the 11th inning to cap the scoring for the Cubs.
On the pitching side, Gonzalez Germen and Zac Rosscup combined on 2 2/3 scoreless innings to send the game into extra innings. And Jason Motte wiggled out of a bases loaded jam in the 10th inning. Hector Rondon set the Reds down in order in the 11th on 16 pitches to end the game. The Cubs pen did not allow the Reds to score over the last five innings of Friday night’s game.
Jon Lester settled in after a shaky start and put together a quality start. Lester was not sharp in the first three innings and made 76 pitches in the first four innings. Lester found a groove in the fifth and looked like Jon Lester. The southpaw retired the last nine batters he faced and ended up with a season-high in strikeouts (10). Lester turned the game over to the pen in the seventh inning after allowing three runs on five hits with a walk and 10 strikeouts on a season-high 104 pitches, 65 for strikes.
Cubs’ pitching allowed three runs on eight hits with four walks and 16 strikeouts in 11 innings … and the Reds were 0-for-14 with RISP and left eight men on base.
The Cubs are 3-0 in extra innings this season.
The Reds jumped out to a lead in the first inning. Mike Leake retired the Cubs in order on nine pitches, six for strikes, to start the game. Billy Hamilton singled to center (2-2) and stole second on the first pitch to Joey Votto. Jon Lester paid too much attention to Hamilton. A wild pitch allowed Hamilton to move to third. Votto rolled a 3-2 pitch to short, Hamilton scored … 1-0 Reds.
Todd Frazier followed with a double to left. Lester settled down and struck out Brandon Phillips (looking) and Jay Bruce (swinging) to end the inning.
The game remained 1-0 Reds until Billy Hamilton’s turn in the lineup came back around in the third inning. Hamilton led off the third with a single to center. Hamilton stole second with Votto at the plate. Lester struck out Votto swinging. Hamilton swiped third on the first pitch to Frazier. Lester walked Frazier as he continued paying too much attention to Hamilton on the bases.
With runners on the corners and one out, Brandon Phillips hit a grounder to short. Frazier got a running lead and was at second base by the time Castro fielded the ball. Hamilton scored, 2-0 Reds. Bruce lined out to Russell at second base on Lester’s 60th pitch (60 pitches, 36 strikes) of the night to end the inning.
The Reds led 2-0 after three innings and the Cubs were still looking for their first hit.
Dexter Fowler led off the fourth inning with a double to left center. Fowler advanced to third when a ball got away from Brayan Pena on a 2-2 pitch to Soler. Mike Leake struck out Jorge Soler swinging for the first out.
Anthony Rizzo stepped in with Fowler on third and one down. Rizzo pulled a 0-1 pitch from Leake over the wall in right. Rizzo’s second home run of the season tied the game at two. Kris Bryant followed with a single to left center. A wild pick-off throw allowed Bryant to move up ninety feet. Chris Coghlan flied out to right and Billy Hamilton took extra bases away from Starlin Castro with a running catch in right center just before he brushed up against the wall to end the inning.
Marlon Byrd led off the fourth with a double to left. The fourth straight inning the Reds put the leadoff man on against Lester. Pena grounded out to short, Byrd advanced to third and scored when Zack Cozart lifted a 3-2 pitch to deep center. The Reds took a 3-2 lead into the fifth after Lester struck out Leake swinging to end the fourth.
The Reds maintained their 3-2 lead through the fifth and sixth innings.
Chris Coghlan led off the seventh and tied the game at three. Coghlan drove a 2-2 pitch to the opposite field and into the stands. Castro (swinging strikeout), Ross (flyout to deep right) and Lester (strikeout looking) went down in order after the Coghlan homer to end the inning.
Phil Coke and Gonzalez Germen combined on a scoreless seventh. And after seven complete, the game was tied at three.
Gonzalez Germen and Zac Rosscup kept the Reds from scoring in the eighth and ninth innings.
The game went to the 10th tied at three.
J.J. Hoover replaced Aroldis Chapman for the 10th and retired pinch-hitter Miguel Montero (swinging strikeout), Addison Russell (swinging strikeout) and Dexter Fowler (pop out to third base) in order. Jason Motte took the hill in the bottom of the 10th in a 3-3 game.
Skip Schumaker led off the 10th with a bloop single to left. Billy Hamilton bunted him to second. Maddon intentionally walked Joey Votto. Motte got Todd Frazier to pop out to Ross for the second out. But Motte lost the strike zone and walked Brandon Phillips to load the bases. Jay Bruce fouled out to Jonathan Herrera near the third base dugout to end the inning.
Burke Badenhop started the 11th for Bryan Price and caught Jorge Soler looking (1-2 pitch) for the first out. Anthony Rizzo singled to center (2-0 pitch), Kris Bryant singled to center (2-2 pitch) and put the go ahead run in scoring position.
Jonathan Herrera put together an eight-pitch at bat that ended with a single to right. Rizzo scored and the Cubs took a 4-3 lead. Bryan Price had Badenhop walk Starlin Castro.
With the bases loaded and one down, David Ross doubled off the top of the right center field wall. Ross just missed a Grand Slam and had to settle for a two-run double, 6-3 Cubs. Travis Wood hit for Motte and hit a broken bat grounder back up the middle off Badenhop’s glove. Castro scored as Cozart threw out Wood at first base, 7-3 Cubs. Addison Russell flied out to right to end the inning.
Hector Rondon still pitched the 11th inning and retired all three batters he faced to end the game.
Weather permitting … Jake Arrieta is scheduled to face Anthony DeSclafani on Saturday afternoon.