Steer, De La Cruz Power Reds Past Cubs in Wild-Card Chase
CINCINNATI — Spencer Steer led the charge for the Cincinnati Reds with a pair of home runs, including a decisive two-run shot in the sixth inning, as the Reds topped the Chicago Cubs 7-5 on Friday night.
Steer wasn’t alone in the power surge. Miguel Andújar and Matt McLain also homered early against Cubs starter Shota Imanaga, before Elly De La Cruz broke a 44-game drought with his 20th long ball of the season, tying Steer for the team lead.
TJ Friedl chipped in with an RBI single in the fifth, helping Cincinnati (78-76) extend its winning streak to three games. Despite the victory, the Reds remain two games behind the New York Mets (80-74) for the final National League wild-card spot. The Mets defeated Washington 12-6 earlier in the day.
On the mound, rookie Connor Phillips (4-0) continued his impressive stretch, striking out two in 1 1/3 hitless innings of relief. Emilio Pagán closed things out in the ninth for his 28th save.
Chicago (88-66) showed fight at the plate, with Matt Shaw blasting a two-run homer, Dansby Swanson adding a solo shot, and Ian Happ doubling in a run. But the Cubs couldn’t recover after Porter Hodge (2-2) replaced Imanaga in the sixth. Hodge surrendered Steer’s two-run blast and then gave up De La Cruz’s back-to-back homer, finishing with three runs allowed on three hits in just one inning.
The night began with Andújar setting the tone on an eight-pitch at-bat that ended with a solo homer. Swanson answered in the second, and Happ’s RBI double in the third briefly put the Cubs ahead 2-1. McLain’s response kept the Reds close before Shaw gave Chicago a 4-2 lead with his 12th homer of the season — and first since August 20.
Steer cut the deficit with a solo shot in the fourth, Friedl tied the game in the fifth, and the Reds never looked back after Steer’s clutch swing in the sixth.
The win gives Cincinnati momentum as they continue to fight for a playoff berth, while the Cubs have now dropped the first two contests of a four-game series.
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