Heyward sets bar high this season
for the Cubs, who used six homers to erase a nine-run deficit for the first time since August 1989 versus Houston.
“A lot of times, that’s a hard game to hold on to because you’ve lost so much momentum,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “We were able to hold the line a little bit and settle things down, and then Ervin hits the big homer to make it 11-9.”
Drew Storen (4-2, 3.67 ERA) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win, then Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth for his 22nd save in 23 chances.
Justin Grimm (1-2, 5.40), who gave up Erwin’s homer and was the second of five Cubs relievers, took the loss.
Happ, Avila, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez homered in the fourth as the Cubs went deep four times in an inning for the first time since June 2008 to cut it to 9-6.
Kyle Schwarber homered to lead off the fifth, then Anthony Rizzo and Avila drove in runs with doubles against Michael Lorenzen to tie it at 9.
The Reds sent 13 men to the plate in the second. Eugenio Suarez and Ervin each had a single and a double in the eight-hit outburst.
Lester was pulled with left lat tightness with two outs in the inning and saw a doctor after the game. Manager Joe Maddon didn’t have a report on the lefty, but knew his velocity was down and that he lacked finishing pop on pitches.
“They had a lot of soft hits over the infielders’ heads,” Maddon said. “The cutter was down to 84-85 (mph). That’s not quite right.”
Lester was charged with nine runs, seven earned, and was replaced by Mike Montgomery after facing 11 batters in the inning and Cincinnati leading 8-0.
It was Cincinnati’s big- gest rally since scoring 10 runs in August 2015 versus Detroit.
Montgomery allowed no runs in 4⅓ innings to set the stage for the Cubs’ comeback.
When the LATROBE, PA. — Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to the 2016 AFC Champion- ship game against the eventual champion New England Patriots, the highly competi- tive Cameron Heyward was in a new role: as a cheerleader.
Heyward, a defensive end with the Steelers, didn’t have a problem supporting his team but wasn’t comfortable with his position on the sidelines.
Heyward’s role was the result of a pectoral injury sustained against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9 of the NFL season. The injury placed Heyward on the injured reserve list and knocked him out for the remainder of the season. He also missed two games earlier in the year because of a hamstring injury. His season consisted of only seven games, which makes him even more eager for this upcoming season.
“Getting back to hitting and getting to the quarterback is what I’m looking forward to,” Heyward said recently during the Steelers training camp on the campus of Saint Vincent College. “I have some things to do that are overdue.”
Many things are overdue because the limited games didn’t allow Heyward to reach many of his personal and team goals.
“Individually, I want double-digit sacks,” said Heyward, a former Ohio State Buckeye. “I want to be the kingpin (in that category), the leader.
“As a team, I want to be AFC North champion and then the Super Bowl after that.”
Chatter about Super Bowl goals is common during the training camp days in the heat of the summer, but the possibilities often cool off for many teams later in the season. The Steelers, winners of six Super Bowls, have room to talk.
“We set high expectations because we have the talent to do it,” Heyward said. “I don’t like talking a lot about it because I don’t like false hype because I want to go out there and do it. I want to be one of the teams in January saying, ‘Let’s make this run.’”