By Joseph Phillips, Sports Writer
Chicago Crusader
Kyle Schwarber hit his 37th home run of the season in a 8-2 Cubs
victory over their NL Central rivals Cincinnati Reds on Monday night at Wrigley Field.
Schwarber’s 37th bomb of the year came on an 2-2 pitch in the bottom
of the first inning, as he would tie Hall of Famer Billy Williams for
second all time for most home runs by a left hand hitter in a Cubs
uniform.
Schwarber’s three-run shot in the first inning was his 18th home run
of his career against the Reds, his most against any opponent in Major
League Baseball.
“That was pretty much a team win,” said Joe Maddon, manager of the
Chicago Cubs about his team’s overall collective effort on Monday
night. “The KB’s (Kris Bryant) play in the hole was outstanding,
Schwarber’s at bat (of course), (Wilson) Contreras and Jason Heyward
putting the ball in the gap, Nico (Hoerner) another great play or two,
and Zobrist, another big hit with two outs.”
In addition to Schwarber’s hot bat, the Cubs pitching staff refused to
let the game get out of control. Pitcher Cole Hamels shook off a bad
start and pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the 3rd
inning. Hamels exited the game in the top of the 4th inning, as the Cubs
bullpen would positively respond, pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings
with the combination of Alec Mills, Rowan Wick, and Kyle Ryan to close
the game.
Final Score: Cubs 8, Reds 2.
Honorable Mention:
For the Cubs eighth run of the game, right fielder Nick Castellanos
added a two-run double in the eighth inning as the Cubs moved a
season-high 14 games above .500. during their five game winning
streak.
“This is the time,” Castellanos said. “We’re facing adversity and
we’ve got to stare it down. There’s a lot of guys in this room who’ve
got to step up.”
MLB Pennant Race Update:
According to the sports website “the Cubs Den,” the Cubs (82-68)
pulled within a half-game of the Washington Nationals for the top spot
in the wild-card standings and stayed two games back of NL
Central-leading St. Louis, which held off the Nationals for a 4-2 win
on Monday night.
