Schwarber plates four RBI
Chicago Cubs rookie Kyle Schwarber went into clutch mode late in the game, launching a game-tying two-run moonshot to right field in the ninth, and went deep during the top half of the 13th to give his team the 5-4 lead, allowing reliever Justin Grimm to record his second save of the season.
It was a game that lasted a little over five hours and it looked as if the Cincinnati Reds (41-50) were going to run away with the second game of the series after claiming Monday’s opener.
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Starting pitcher Jason Hammel (5-4, 2.82 ERA) made his return to the mound and didn’t do all that bad in Cincinnati – surrendering two runs (one earned) while recording a 5/4 K/BB ratio prior to being pulled after the fifth inning.
Home Run Derby winner Todd Frazier put his team on the board first with a sacrifice fly to Dexter Fowler out in center field, making it a 1-0 ball game during the bottom of the first. The Reds added onto their lead just an inning later when Skip Schumaker grounded out to shortstop Starlin Castro, allowing former Cub, Marlon Byrd to cross home plate.
With the Cubs (50-42) trailing 2-0 in the top of the fifth, Schwarber recorded his first RBI of the evening on an RBI ground-rule double to right-center field to score second baseman, Addison Russell.
Schwarber would finish tonight 4-for-7, scoring twice himself and again, coming up with two huge late at-bats that eventually lead his team to 50 wins.
While Hammel was charged with only one earned, Raisel Iglesias (1-2, 5.45 ERA) was tagged for two on six hits including a game-tying solo bomb off the bat of Chris Coghlan in the sixth which made it 2-2. He also issued four walks while striking out eight Cubs.
Frazier gave Cincinnati their second lead of the evening on a two-run RBI double with Pedro Strop on the bump in the seventh. Neither team would be able to score a run until Joe Maddon‘s young catcher did so in the ninth inning.
Speedy outfielder, Billy Hamilton reached base safely with two late inning singles and even advanced to second on a balk by reliever Hector Rondon during the home half of the ninth.
The Cubs left 25 men on base and struck out a combined 18 times while Cincinnati left 17 stranded and whiffed seven times. Key at-bats were spoiled due to chasing pitches low and outside the strike zone.