Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Johnny Cueto shrugged off an early hiccup
and went back to doing what he does best:
Dominate.
Cueto allowed two runs and three hits in eight innings for his NL-leading 16th
win, as the Cincinnati Reds topped the reeling Chicago Cubs, 5-3, in the
opener of a doubleheader Saturday at Great American Ball Park.
Cueto (16-6) retired 19 of the last 20 batters he faced and struck out eight
to further solidify his position in the NL Cy Young Award race. Coming into
the game, he was second in the league to Clayton Kershaw in Fangraphs' wins-
above-replacement with 4.1.
After giving up a two-run homer to Alfonso Soriano in the first inning, Cueto
didn't allow a Cubs hitter to advance past first base. The Reds earned their
seventh win in eight games.
Cincinnati used its power once again to score most of its runs, albeit from
unlikely sources: Miguel Cairo and Xavier Paul both hit their first home run
of the year, and Todd Frazier added his 17th.
Soriano's home run gave him 1,000 career RBI, making him the 274th player in
league history to accomplish the feat.
Jeff Samardzija (8-11) gave up four runs and six hits in five innings to
receive the loss for Chicago, which fell to 3-13 this month.
Aroldis Chapman gave up a run and allowed the tying run to reach first base
after two singles and a walk, but struck out Joe Mather to earn his 29th save.
The Sports Network