Cubs down Reds in series opener, 7-3
The Cincinnati Reds began Friday with a 35-35 record in the second half, a mark so notably improved it helped manager Bryan Price secure an extension for at least the 2017 season.
But after falling 7-3 to a Chicago Cubs team in spring training mode Friday at Great American Ball Park, the Reds will need to win their final two games of the season to finish with a record above .500 since the All-Star break.
“There weren’t a lot of glowing moments in that game, unfortunately,” Price said.
At this point, losing may be the more palatable option anyway. The Reds entered the final series of the year still in striking distance of the second overall pick in the draft, the same spot they picked in 2016. Such a high pick comes with significant advantages in terms of the amount of money they can spend on amateur players in both the draft and international markets, although the team will likely have limits on the size of bonuses they can offer international players.
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Starting long reliever Josh Smith for the second time this season certainly didn’t signal a true effort to win, but Smith fared admirably. The 29-year-old rookie allowed one run in three innings earlier in the month in a start against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, and built upon that success Friday.
Smith was perfect through four innings, although he tested fate by getting nine of his first 12 outs on balls hit in the air to the outfield. Ben Zobrist broke up his perfect game bid to start the fifth with a solo home run to right to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead.
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“I just missed my spot,” Smith said. “I was throwing backdoor cutters all night and it was working for me. I just missed a spot and he took advantage of it.”
Smith finished the inning without further consequence, but ran into trouble in the sixth. Smith loaded the bases with no outs on two hits and a walk, and was pulled from the game in favor of left-hander Tony Cingrani. Cingrani gave up an RBI groundout to Kris Bryant to give Chicago a 2-0 lead, but struck out Anthony Rizzo and executed a perfect pickoff move on a double steal attempt to end the inning.
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The run was charged to Smith, giving him two over five innings. He allowed three hits and one walk, and struck out one.
Cincinnati got on the board in the bottom of the inning when Jose Peraza smacked a one-out double, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Hernan Iribarren’s groundout to second. The Cubs struck back in the seventh to make it 3-1 when Zobrist doubled and scored on another double by Addison Russell.
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Chicago plated four more against right-hander Abel De Los Santos in the eighth, all with one out. Rizzo knocked in two with a single, followed immediately by another homer by Zobrist to make it 7-1. Ross Ohlendorf replaced De Los Santos and finished the inning.
Joey Votto made it 7-3 in the ninth, smacking a two-run homer to center after Hernan Iribarren reached on a third-strike wild pitch. It was Votto’s 29th of the season.