CHICAGO — In the top of the second inning on Thursday, Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks served up a hanging curveball right down the middle to Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto.
Throughout Votto’s career, he has hit better against Hendricks than almost any other pitcher. Votto almost always crushes those mistakes for extra-base hits. But Votto’s barrel only clipped the bottom part of the baseball, and he hit a weak pop fly to center field.
It started one of the most frustrating innings of the entire Reds season.
On Thursday, the fourth-place Cubs beat the last-place Reds, 15-7, at Wrigley Field to take the series win. The Cubs pulled ahead with a five-run second inning.
"You always want to play as perfect as possible," Reds manager David Bell said. "It’s important."
It started when Votto hit the weak pop fly to center field. Votto spiked his bat to the ground toward the warning track behind home plate and was slow to get out of the batter’s box. The Cubs had four players converge at the same spot in the outfield. Somehow, the fly ball dropped to the ground. Votto tried sprinting to second base, but his frustration leaving the batter’s box cost him.
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Votto was tagged out at second. The inning spiraled downward from there. Following a Kyle Farmer single, the Reds tried a hit-and-run that ended as a strikeout double play.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Cubs got an infield single on a routine ball to first base due to an apparent miscommunication between Votto and starting pitcher Graham Ashcraft. Following a walk, the Cubs loaded the bases.
“I went through a little moment right there," Ashcraft said. "I just didn’t get over when I needed to right off the bat.”
Over his last few starts, Ashcraft has made a point to get back to using his sinker more often, like he did earlier in the season. Ashcraft threw a sinker to Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom, and Wisdom crushed a grand slam that gave Chicago a 6-0 lead. Votto hit a solo homer later in the game for the Reds against Hendricks. But it was too little too late in a game where the Reds spotted the Cubs an early lead.
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“It was just inconsistency of mechanics and release point," Ashcraft said. "I was not able to execute pitches when I needed to and where we needed to... I got frustrated with myself, and I just didn’t make the adjustment when I needed to.”
Chicago took an early 1-0 lead because center fielder Nick Senzel made an unnecessary throw to third base, which allowed a baserunner to move from first to second.
"Senzel just didn’t get a handle on the ball," Bell said. "He would have had a play at third. But you’re right. If he recognizes that he didn’t get it out of his glove fast enough, it could have kept him on first."
Ashcraft only threw 64% of his pitches for strikes, which was below his season average. He left the game with one out in the third inning after allowing seven hits and seven runs.
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There’s still a long season ahead of the Reds, who fell to 26-49 on the season. Before Thursday, the Reds hadn’t been 23 games below .500 since the end of the 2018 season. Cincinnati is currently on a 57-win pace. The Reds are also expected to be open to offers for some of their best players at the trade deadline, which would subtract more talent from a team that’s struggling.
Due to the poor start to the game for the Reds, Bell needed right fielder Max Schrock to pitch the eighth inning. Schrock allowed five runs as the Cubs pulled away.
"It’s terrible to have to bring a position player in," Bell said. "I hate it, I really do. That was just what I felt like was best for our team. Just given our situation to give us the best chance to win over the next couple games."
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