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MLB: Kris Bryant and Chicago Cubs Look For Another Win Against NL Central Rivals Cincinnati Reds

By Dustin Murrell
Published on: 05:29 PST, Jun 28, 2016

The Chicago Cubs may have turned things around already after being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals at home. Having lost six of their last seven games before traveling to Cincinnati to face another NL Central Division rival in the Reds, the Chicago Cubs are still considered by most to be the best team in Major League Baseball. The unparalleled performance by Kris Bryant in Monday’s game — three home runs and two doubles, a feat never accomplished in a single game by a single player in the history of the MLB — may be a sign of the Cubs returning to form as the most dominant team in the National League.

Another win against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday evening would give the Cubs their first winning streak since sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates June 17-19. While the Cubs continue to hold the best record in baseball, the Reds are dead last in one of the toughest divisions in professional baseball.

Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds

For baseball fans who like high-scoring games, the first game of this Cubs/Reds series was perfect. There were four other home runs, for a total of seven on the night. Cincinnati and Chicago combined for a total of 25 base hits and 19 runs on Monday, the two impressive offensive outputs forcing a total of 11 pitchers to earn at least one out. Bryant’s superhuman performance included four runs and six RBIs on a perfect five-for-five on the night. Pitcher Jake Arrieta (12-2, 2.10 ERA) had a single-run homer in the fifth inning. Arrieta pitched five innings, good for four strikeouts, five walks, and five earned runs off of four base hits. Anthony Rizzo had his 18th homer of the season. For the Reds, Joey Votto had a pair of home runs, going two-for-four on the night with three RBIs and three runs of his own.

Dan Straily (4-5, 4.38 ERA) was given the loss for Cincinnati against Chicago on Monday, giving up seven earned runs in just 3.2 innings. On Tuesday, the Reds will hope to get a better performance out of John Lamb (1-4, 4.78 ERA) in Game 2 against the Cubs. Chicago will start Jon Lester (9-3, 2.10 ERA), who hopes to deliver another win at the Great American Ball Park.

NL Central Standings

After Monday night’s game, the Chicago Cubs (49-26) still have the highest winning percentage of any team in Major League Baseball. No team in the National League has more wins that the Cubs, and no team in the MLB has lost fewer games than Chicago despite their brief slump last week. With the St. Louis Cardinals (39-36) losing their game against the Kansas City Royals on Monday, they remain 10 games behind the Cubs. The Pittsburgh Pirates (37-40) are on their heels, in third place at three games behind the STL Cards.

Two games behind the Pirates (and 15 games behind the Cubs) are the Milwaukee Brewers (34-41). The Cincinnati Reds (29-48) are pulling up the rear in the NL Central, currently 21 games out of first place and six games behind fourth place Milwaukee.

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Where To Watch

Tuesday night’s game featuring the Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds will be at the Great American Ballpark in Ohio. The game begins at 6:10 p.m. CT and will air on CSN Chicago. The third and final game of the series will be Wednesday, June 29 at 11:35 a.m. CT and will air on WGN. Tickets for both of the games between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday and Wednesday can be purchased directly through the Reds’ website.

[Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images]

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