Reed battered in first start
CINCINNATI — Though there were plenty of offensive fireworks on both sides, poor starting pitching once again doomed the Cincinnati Reds, who lost 12-8 to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday at Great American Ball Park.
Left-hander Cody Reed, making his first start of 2017, hadn’t allowed a run entering the game after beginning the season in the bullpen and had got out the last 19 batters he’d faced. But he struggled with command, walking his first batter on four pitches and the next one on five.
Then Anthony Rizzo clubbed a three-run home run. Reed put two more batters aboard, but got out of the inning without further damage.
The further damage was saved for the second inning. Reed began by getting a groundout from Albert Almora
Jr. and freezing Kyle Schwarber for strike three, but then was hurt by a Kris Bryant double and two more walks to load the bases. Wilson Contreras brought them all home with his first career grand slam.
Reed did not see the third. He was charged for seven runs on four hits and five walks, one of which was intentional.
“We’ll have to find the way to right the ship with Cody as a starter if he’s going to get more opportunities," manager Bryan Price said.
The Reds kept pace early, with four runs in the bottom of the first off Cubs ace Jake Arrieta.
Jose Peraza got things started with a leadoff single. Scooter Gennett grounded to second, but Javier Baez committed a two-base error attempting a force at second. Joey Votto brought all three runs home with a line-drive homer to right.
Eugenio Suarez hit a solo shot later in the first, and Votto drove in another run in the second that cut the Cubs’ lead to 7-5.
Suarez homered again in the eighth, giving him five for the season, and Votto drove in a third run in the ninth. Adam Duvall drove in the final run with a single in the next at-bat, avoiding a five-strikeout game.
After sitting idle in the bullpen for several days after his call-up, righthander Lisalverto Bonilla made his Reds debut.
Bonilla got through his first two innings without allowing a run. But he issued a leadoff walk in the fifth to Jason Heyward and later allowed Heyward to score on an Arrieta triple that tied Gennett in knots in right field.
In the sixth, Rizzo smacked a one-out double, and Contreras walked two batters later.
Then Heyward hit a three-run homer to give the Cubs an 11-5 lead.