Cubs at Reds
One night after newcomers set the tone for the Chicago Cubs in a shellacking of Cincinnati, the Reds received huge contributions from their recent additions in what was as close to a must-win game as they have faced all season. Winners of nine of its last 13, resurgent Cincinnati looks to continue Chicago's road woes in the third of a four-game set Saturday night.
The acquisition of Trevor Bauer -- Friday's winning pitcher -- cost the Reds right fielder Yasiel Puig, but Aristides Aquino is more than filling the void by homering for the third straight contest and running his hitting streak to six games to ignite a 5-2 victory. Eugenio Suarez belted his sixth homer versus the Cubs this season and Joey Votto ended a 1-for-20 rut with a solo shot to draw Cincinnati within seven games of first-place Chicago in the National League Central. One night after amassing a season-high 19 hits, the Cubs managed only five to fall to 22-34 away from home -- the second-fewest road wins in the NL. Nicholas Castellanos hammered his third homer of the series and has hit safely in all nine games since he was acquired at the trade deadline by Chicago, which is winless in its last 10 series (0-9-1) on the road.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), FS Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Kyle Hendricks (8-8, 3.06 ERA) vs. Reds RH Sonny Gray (6-6, 3.25)
Hendricks allowed a combined 10 runs over his last seven starts but has only one victory to show for it in that span, settling for a no-decision versus Oakland on Monday despite permitting two runs on only one hit over 6 1/3 innings. His only win during the stellar stretch came in St. Louis on July 31, when he tossed seven scoreless innings. Votto is 10-for-26 with three homers off Hendricks, who is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in three starts against Cincinnati this season.
Gray also deserved a better fate last time out but he too did not factor in the decision at Atlanta despite blanking the Braves on four hits over seven innings. It was the fourth time in five starts since his All-Star appearance that he yielded two runs or fewer, including six innings of two-run ball in a loss to the Cubs on July 17. Gray beat Chicago with 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball on June 28 and has held Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo to a combined 3-for-25.
WALK-OFFS
1. Aquino is 10-for-18 with four homers, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored during his six-game hitting streak.
2. Castellanos has a five-game extra-base hit streak, the second-longest on the team this year (Rizzo, seven).
3. The Reds recalled RHP Sal Romano from Triple-A Louisville and designated RHP David Hernandez for assignment.