Reds Complete Sweep Of Cubs
CHICAGO (AP) — Mike Leake combined with Aroldis Chapman on a three-hitter and Todd Frazier hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning against Travis Wood, leading the Cincinnati Reds over the Chicago Cubs 2-1 Wednesday for their record 12th straight win at Wrigley Field.
Leake (6-3) won for the fourth time in five decisions, allowing Nate Schierholtz's second-inning home run into the right-field bleachers, his eighth of the season. Chapman struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 17th save in 19 chances.
The previous record for consecutive wins by a visitor at Wrigley was 10, a mark set by the St. Louis Cardinals (1943-44) and matched by the New York Giants (1950-51) and Montreal (1982-83), according to STATS.
Cincinnati is 10-2 overall against the Cubs this season and 25-6 dating to Sept. 13, 2011. Leake improved to 6-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 13 career starts against Chicago.
Wood (5-5) gave up two runs and four hits in seven innings, his third loss in four decisions. He is 0-3 with a 4.65 ERA in five starts against the Reds, who traded him to the Cubs on Dec. 23, 2011, for reliever Sean Marshall.
Chicago has lost eight of 10 since a five-game winning streak, falling to 7-21 against NL Central rivals and a season-worst 13 games below .500 at 25-38.
Cesar Izturis got the Reds' first hit with an infield single in the fifth, and Cincinnati tied the game in the sixth when Shin-Soo Choo doubled and scored on Brandon Phillips' two-out single.
Leake retired 12 consecutive batters before Frazier hit his eighth homer, sending a 1-0 pitch through a wind and into the left-field bleachers.
NOTES: Chicago's Starlin Castro went 0 for 3 and is in a 4-for-48 slide (.083). He hit in the No. 6 slot for only the second time in his career. ... Choo, normally the Reds' leadoff hitter, was second in the batting order while Derrick Robinson was first. Choo entered 0 for 6 with four strikeouts against Wood. ... The Cubs placed RHP Zach Putnam on the 15-day DL and recalled LHP Brooks Raley from Triple-A Iowa. ... When asked if LHP Tony Cingrani would stay in the Cincinnati rotation, manager Dusty Baker said "Who's spot is he going to take?" Cingrani gave up two earned runs in seven innings Tuesday, but the Reds hope Johnny Cueto will be able to return Sunday against Milwaukee. ... Alfonso Soriano pinch hit and had a game-ending groundout. ... Thursday's pitching matchup is Cincinnati's Mat Latos (6-0, 2.87) against the Cubs' Jeff Samardzija (3-7, 3.18). ... Phillips has 616 RBIs as a second baseman, four more than Joe Morgan's previous Reds record. Phillips passed Morgan on Monday with six RBIs.
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