Aristides Aquino may not have made history against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night, but the Cincinnati Reds will surely be satisfied with his performance, as he blasted three home runs in a blowout victory over the North Siders.
The Reds blasted a total of six home runs in the game, with Eugenio Suárez teeing off on Dillon Maples and cranking his 32nd home run of the season as part of the barrage. Kyle Farmer and Nick Senzel also hit home runs in the game as the Reds won for the second straight night.
The Cubs waited until the ninth inning to get on the board, as Kyle Schwarber launched a solo home run to center field.
Kyle Hendricks had one of his worst starts of the season, giving up 12 hits and seven earned runs in less than three innings of work. Maples didn’t fare much better, giving up a pair of solo home runs, and Alec Mills finished off the game out of the bullpen with four innings of one-run baseball.
Josh VanMeter got the game off to a rollicking start for the Reds with a first inning RBI double, but that was just the beginning. After scoring two runs in the second, the Reds scored four more in the third and a pair of runs in the fourth, chasing Hendricks from the game and setting the stage for a blowout victory.
For the second straight game, the Reds also got some good starting pitching, as Sonny Gray allowed just two hits and struck out seven batters in six innings of work to cruise to the victory.
The Cubs will have one final game in Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon when they send the struggling Jon Lester to the hill against Luis Castillo. First pitch is set for 12:10 p.m.
