In this week’s Chicago Sports Almanac, we examine the history the Cubs made in Pittsburgh, Daniel Murphy’s gaudy numbers at Wrigley Field, and a special Bears birthday.
Daniel Murphy hit another home run and Javier Baez continued his rampage through the National League as the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-6 at Wrigley Field.
The win puts the Cubs a season-high 22 games above .500, and trims their magic number in the Central Division to 31.
Cubs’ pitcher Jose Quintana gave up two earned runs and struck out two in five innings of work, and Jesse Chavez, Justin Wilson, and Jorge De La Rosa all threw scoreless outings in the victory.
The Cubs got on the board early in the second inning, as Ian Happ knocked a single to center field, scoring Kyle Schwarber. Murphy then stepped up and socked a home run into the right-center field basket, giving the Cubs a 3-0 lead.
Schwarber and Baez each hit home runs in the middle stages of the game, and the team really broke the game open in the seventh, as Murphy hit an RBI fielder’s choice up the middle and Baez hit an RBI single to center field to give the Cubs a 10-2 lead.
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The Reds did cut into the lead against Brandon Kintzler, with Curt Casali smacking a three-run home run and pinch-hitter Preston Tucker hitting another long ball in the eighth inning. De La Rosa slammed the door, giving the Cubs their fourth straight win.
The Cubs will go for the series sweep on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Reds again at Wrigley, with Kyle Hendricks slated to take the mound.
