 exited after only one inning that included 22 pitches, a walk, two hits and a run. He's expected to go on the 10-day injured list Saturday.Hamels will have an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, located by the left oblique.''He's been unbelievable,'' said reliever Mike Montgomery, who took over for Hamels and gave up five runs. ''Obviously you hope it's not serious. We're definitely going to need him.'' It was a huge break for the last-place Reds, who were 1-11 career against the left-hander entering the game. Plus, Hamels had been on his best streak of the season, going at least seven innings in each of his last five starts with a 1.00 ERA.''I'm not sure what happened,'' Reds manager David Bell said. ''That was unfortunate for them. At that point, you're just trying to limit the damage to your bullpen.'' Chicago overcame a five-run deficit for a 9-7 win on Thursday against Atlanta but couldn't pull off a second straight big comeback.Sonny Gray (4-5) pitched shutout ball into the seventh before giving up Jason Heyward's two-run homer . Michael Lorenzen pitched out of the two-on threat in the eighth and got the last five outs for his fifth save in six chances.The Reds play nine straight home games heading into the All-Star break, representing a chance to get into the NL Central race or remain stagnant near the bottom of the division.''That's a big win for us,'' Gray said. ''We need to get some momentum and finish the homestand strong.'' Joey Votto had a season-high four singles and drove in a run. His third single off Mike Montgomery gave him 1,800 career hits. Phillip Ervin added a homer and a double.Second baseman Scooter Gennett was activated after missing all season with a groin injury and had an infield single in four at-bats, failing to get the ball out of the infield. He was picked off first by Kyle Ryan after his hit.''It felt great to get out there with the guys,'' Gennett said. ''There was great energy in the stadium. It was awesome to see.'' The Reds are hoping their struggling offense gets a boost from Gennett, who was their most productive hitter of the last two seasons. Gennett was only 4 of 26 during a minor league rehab assignment. Bell plans to play the second baseman regularly as he rounds back into form.LONG TIMEVotto's last four-hit game was May 18 last year. It was his 24th career four-hit game.BIG TURNAROUNDThe Reds are 5-2 against the Cubs this season, a significant improvement. In the last four years, the Cubs were 51-25 against the Reds. The Reds have piled up at least 11 hits in six of the seven games against Chicago.ROAD WOESThe Cubs have dropped 11 of their last 14 road games.CONTRERAS STREAKCubs All-Star catcher Willson Contreras went 0 for 4, ending a 10-game hitting streak that matched his career high.TRAINER'S ROOMCubs: Hendricks is scheduled to throw in the bullpen Saturday.Reds: Left-hander Alex Wood will try to throw over the weekend. He's been sidelined since spring training by a bad back. Wood was scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday but had a setback.UP NEXTCubs: Left-hander Jose Quintana (4-7) gave up a season-high nine runs on June 22 against the Mets and got extra days between starts. He has a 6.75 ERA in his last six starts. Quintana is 0-2 in two starts against the Reds this season, giving up eight earned runs in 10 1/3 innings.Reds: Luis Castillo (7-2) lasted only 3 2/3 innings Saturday in a 6-5 loss at Milwaukee, giving up six runs. He beat the Cubs 4-2 on May 16 at Great American Ball Park, allowing two hits in 5 1/3 innings.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Kimbrel, Cubs kick off nine-game trip at CincinnatiFLMThe Chicago Cubs hope the momentum of their latest spirited victory will travel well as they begin a nine-game road trip with a series opener against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.The Cubs overcame a five-run deficit to post a 9-7 win over Atlanta on Thursday afternoon, capped by Craig Kimbrel securing his first save since finalizing a three-year, $43 million contract.Jason Heyward drove in three runs and scored twice in the series finale to improve to 11-for-21 with five extra-base hits, five RBIs and five runs scored in his last six games."We got him here," Heyward said of the 31-year-old Kimbrel. "We know why he's here. He knows why he's here. He picked us, and we want to make it worth it for him." While Heyward was pleased with Thursday's result, he wasn't too thrilled with the events of the previous two series versus Cincinnati. Heyward went 2-for-23 with six strikeouts as Chicago lost two of three in each series.Unlike Heyward, left-hander Cole Hamels (6-2, 2.92 ERA) has dominated the Reds since entering the league.Hamels sports a sterling 11-1 record with a 1.91 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 17 career starts against Cincinnati. He has flustered Tucker Barnhart (1-for-13) and Yasiel Puig (1-for-8), although Jose Peraza is 4-for-9 with a homer in his career versus the veteran hurler.The 35-year-old Hamels has enjoyed a sterling stretch in June, during which he has posted a 2-1 mark with a 1.00 ERA and 36 strikeouts over five starts (36 innings).Hamels received his second straight no-decision on Sunday after allowing three runs on seven hits in seven innings against the New York Mets.Cincinnati right-hander Sonny Gray (3-5, 4.03) will take the mound on the heels of surrendering two homers for the second consecutive contest in last Friday's no-decision against Milwaukee.Gray also was taken deep twice against Chicago on May 15, but he received a no-decision after permitting three runs on five hits in five innings. The 29-year-old sports an 0-1 record with a 4.50 ERA in two career outings versus the Cubs.The Reds begin a nine-game, 10-day homestand with much at stake, as the results of this stretch heading into the All-Star break could go a long way in determining the club's future."It's a nice stretch," Cincinnati manager David Bell said. "It's a sprint to those four off days. Hopefully, every game the rest of the year is important. We're just really looking forward to being home for a long stretch." After erupting for 28 runs during their four-game series versus Milwaukee, the Reds were limited to a pair of solo homers in back-to-back 5-1 setbacks to the Los Angeles Angels. The defeats extended their losing skid to four consecutive contests."This little stretch here really tests your resilience to bounce back," Bell said. "We were playing so well. Now we've lost a few. It's a great challenge. Teams that have good seasons find a way to bounce back."It's going to be fun to see how we react Friday." --Field Level Media
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Pick Center
MLB
FINAL (6/28/2019)
BigAlsPicks
