Jackson Drives In 5; Cubs Beat Reds, 10-3
CINCINNATI (AP) — Austin Jackson drove in a career-high five runs and Jon Lester set a Chicago season record for strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher, leading the playoff-bound Cubs to a 10-3 victory over the last-place Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, their fourth straight win.
The Cubs will play the Pirates in next week's NL wild-card game, as St. Louis clinched the NL Central Wednesday.
Lester's strikeout of Ivan De Jesus Jr. in the fifth inning was his 203rd of the season, snapping the franchise record for a left-hander set by Ken Holtzman in 1970. Lester (11-12) finished with nine strikeouts and retired the last 20 batters he faced.
The Reds lost their 11th straight, equaling their longest losing streak since dropping 12 consecutive in 1993.
Starlin Castro homered and had four hits for Chicago.
The Cubs reached double figures in runs for the first time since a 14-5 win over Arizona on Sept. 4.
Anthony Rizzo doubled to lead off the fourth, snapping a 0-for-11 slump, and scored on Addison Russell's single. In the fifth, Jackson followed Lester's leadoff single with a one-out RBI double.
Jackson added a bases-loaded two-run single in Chicago's three-run eighth.
Castro led off the sixth with his 11th homer of the season, helping knock Anthony DeSclafani out of the game in the pitcher's final start this year. DeSclafani (9-13), who finished as the team leader with 31 starts, lost his last three.
With Todd Frazier and Joey Votto sidelined with minor injuries, the Reds scored their only runs on two Jay Bruce sacrifice flies and one by Brandon Phillips.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Reds: 3B Todd Frazier was scratched from the starting lineup with stiffness in his lower right calf and Achilles tendon that developed after his foot caught in the grass while he tried to make a sliding catch of a foul ball Tuesday. 1B Joey Votto was sidelined with stiffness in the back of his shoulders.
UP NEXT
Cubs: RHP Jason Hammel (9-7) will try to reverse a season-ending performance dip in the series finale against the Reds. He is 4-3 over his last 12 starts with a 5.84 ERA.
Reds: LHP John Lamb (1-4) makes his 10th career start and first against the Cubs in Cincinnati's home finale.
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