It was all Reds in Game 1 of Wednesday's day/night double-header as the Cincinnati Reds (42-50) blew out the Chicago Cubs 9-1 (50-43).
The Reds jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, and the Cubs could not mount a comeback as they did Tuesday night. Cincinnati tacked on five runs late to put the game away.
In the bottom of the first, the Reds used small ball to load the bases off Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. Brandon Phillips and Jason Bourgeois led off, and both beat out slow rollers to the left side for infield singles; Joey Votto followed with a walk.
With no one out, Todd Frazier -- similar to what he did Tuesday night -- golfed a looper down the right-field line that dropped in for a two-run double (video). Eugenio Suarez lined another two-run double, this one to left (video). Suarez's ball was the only one hit hard, but they all counted.
Frazier was 3 for 5 with two runs driven in and two runs scored. As of the end of Game 1, he is sixth in the National League with 63 RBI on the season.
In the fifth, Votto added some insurance with a solo shot (17) off Hendricks.
Votto was 3 for 4 with three runs scored on the afternoon.
The Reds got three more in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win. With two outs, Skip Schumaker drew a bases-loaded walk, and Billy Hamilton and Tucker Barnhart each picked up RBI singles; Hamilton's brought in two (video).
The Cubs scored their lone run on Kyle Schwarber's RBI single in the top of the third. Schwarber was 2 for 3 on the day, and he is now hitting .429 with 11 RBI in his first 12 Major League games.
The Cubs loaded the bases and threatened in the ninth, but they could not push across anything more.
Mike Leake (W: 8-5, 3.78 ERA) pitched to contact, and it worked out very well. The Cubs hit the ball hard throughout the game, but they had a strong case of "at'em balls" that could not find holes. They managed only one run on four hits off Leake, who walked no one and struck out six in eight solid innings.
Hendricks (L: 4-5, 3.66) actually pitched better than his line might show. He allowed five earned runs on seven hits (including Votto's home run) in six innings. He walked one and struck out nine. He fell victim to some bad luck in the first. Yoervis Medina allowed four runs in the seventh inning in his first Major League appearance since June 25, ending any hopes of a Cubs' comeback attempt.
Game 2 will begin at 6:10 p.m. EDT and will feature Dallas Beeler (0-0, 3.60) starting for the Cubs and Tony Cingrani (0-3, 3.47) pitching for the Reds.