Thank you once again, and GOOD NIGHT from VAVEL!!!
Thank you again, everyone, for tuning into VAVEL's LIVE coverage of Sunday Night Major League Baseball. Next week, the San Francisco Giants battle division rivals Los Angeles Dodgers at 8:00 p.m. EDT.
Brian Schlitter is the winning pitcher as he finished out the top of the 11th. Burke Badenhop takes the loss.
Castro walks it off for the second straight night as the Cubs win 2-1. The Cubs win the series 3 games to 1, and they are seven games over .500, nine games better than they were at this same point last year.
LINED INTO LEFT FIELD AND TO THE WALL! Coghlan scores, and the Cubs win!!!
Castro (2 for 4) came through last night. Let's see if he does it again.
Negron knocked the ball down and kept it from rolling to the wall for a triple.
Down the left-field line, and it drops in fair. Negron missed the diving attempt. and Coghlan has a double. 1 on, 1 out for Starlin Castro.
Chris Coghlan is 1 for 3 with a walk.
Hard grounder right at Suarez at short. Easy out.
Kris Bryant leads it off. 1 for 4, 2 K. Last HR on May 26.
Bottom 11: Bryant, Coghlan, and Castro are the scheduled hitters. Remember, the Cubs are out of position players. If they need a pinch hitter, they would likely go with Travis Wood and/or Jason Hammel. Wood can go deep.
Ground ball to short, and Castro gets the easy force out at second. The Cubs have their third chance to walk off. Can they do it in the 11th? We will see soon.
Schlitter kept the high throw from getting away and letting Votto score the go-ahead run.
Runners at the corners with two outs for Negron (1 for 4).
Suarez grounds it to Rizzo at first, He gets the force out at second, but Suarez beats the relay to first to keep the inning alive.
Eugenio Suarez is 0 for 4, but he has a chance here to be a hero. Two on, one out.
Pitching change: Brian Schlitter replaces Zac Rosscup.
Pena walks to put men on first and second. Maddon is coming out to the mound.
Bruce draws a one-out walk. Brayan Pena (0 for 4) hits with a man on. Chapman starts to throw again.
This is not the time to get tossed, so Frazier cools it quickly. Jay Bruce is up.
Frazier takes strike three, and he is HOT about that call.
Todd Frazier leads off, facing Rosscup.
Top 11: Due up are Frazier, Bruce, and Pena.
Rizzo chases strike three well out of the zone. Still tied after 10!
Fly ball to left, and Negron grabs it for the second out. Rizzo is up.
Top of the order -- Dexter Fowler (sac fly in the seventh)
High fly to right, and Bruce makes the easy catch for Out #1.
Russell leads it off.
Burke Badenhop is the news Reds pitcher.
Bottom 10: Russell, Fowler, and Rizzo are the scheduled hitters.
Votto loops it into left, and Coghlan makes the running catch to retire the side, The Cubs need one to win, and they will have the top of the order up after Addison Russell hits.
Hamilton steals third uncontested!
Hamilton at second with two outs and Joey Votto coming up. He is 2 for 4.
Pitching change: Zac Rosscup (4.09 ERA) replaces Edwin Jackson with Joey Votto coming up.
Phillips cannot check his swing, so he is out on strikes. 2 down.
Hamilton steals his fourth base of the game. The Cubs pitched out, and a good throw would have had him, but Montero missed his mark.
1 on, 1 out for Brandon Phillips.
Billy Hamilton draws the walk, and that is NOT what Jackson needed to do.
Fly ball to center on the first pitch for the first out.
Edwin Jackson (2-1, 2.79) is the new Cubs pitcher, and Brennan Boesch pinch hits.
Remember Phillips scored earlier in the game, but Maddon;s challenge overturned it, so we are tied at 1.
Top 10: Reds have Hoover, Hamilton, and Phillips due up.
Denorfia bounces it to Frazier, who makes the play, and we are going extra innings tied at 1-1.
Strike three for the second out. That brings up Chris Denorfia, and the Cubs are out of pinch hitters. Denorfia is a terrific 16 for 38 (.421) on the season.
Miguel Montero will bat for David Ross, leaving Chris Denorfia left.
Called strike three, but that one looked WAY outside. That is the fourth strikeout for Mike Baxter tonight, and it was a late call.
Baxter has had a rough night: 3 K's. He leads it off.
The Cubs have only two pinch hitters left: Montero and Denorfia.
Bottom 9: The Cubs need one to win, and they have the bottom half of the order due up: Baxter, Ross, pinch hitter, and Russell.
Popped up! Dexter Fowler puts it away, and Motte and the Cubs get out of the inning! Bases loaded, nobody out, and the Reds fail to score. We go to the bottom of the ninth tied at 1!
Strike three called! 2 down, and Motte has a chance to get out of a huge mess. He still has to get Kristopher Negron, though.
Suarez has his chances now with the bases still loaded. The Reds are hitting .207 with RISP, but they can break it open now.
Popped up to center. Fowler makes the catch, and all runners hold.
Pena is up with the bases loaded and nobody out.
Motte will intentioanlly walk Jay Bruce with Brayan Pena up next.
Long drive to the ceter field wall. It is off the wall for a double, moving Votto to third. no outs, runners at second and third. Motte is in trouble, and Aroldis Chapman is warming up for the Reds.
Votto (1 for 3) rips a single into right field. Lead-off man on for Frazier (0 for 3).
Top 9: Jason Motte is on for the Cubs, facing Votto, Frazier, and Bruce.
Castro rips the first pitch right at Todd Frazier, who makes the play across the diamond to retire the side. We go to the ninth tied at 1
Coghlan grounds to Votto at first, He flips to Hoover, covering, for the second out.
Strike three gets Bryant on a very good slider just off the plate. Bryant saw three different pitches in the at bat.
Bryant is 1 for 3, dounle in the first.
The new Reds pitcher is J.J. Hoover.
Bottom 8: Kris Bryant, Chris Coghlan, and Starlin Castro are due up for the Cubs.
Fly ball to Baxter in right, and he makes the catch to retire the side. The Reds go down quickly, and the Cubs come up in the bottom of the eighth tied at 1.
Brandon Phillips is 1 for 3, RBI.
Billy Hamilton lines it to center and right at Dexter Fowler for Out #2. That's the way to shut down his running game -- keep him off base. 1 down.
Fly to right, and Baxter puts it away for Out #1.
Reds pinch hit Skip Shumaker for Manny Parra. Rondon is the new Cubs pitcher.
Top 8: Due up for the Reds -- pinch hitter, Hamilton, and Phillips.
Swing and a miss for strike three! All that for one more pitch, but the Cubs tie the game at 1-1, and that is where we syand after seven complete innings.
The call is overturned, and Rizzo will come back to the plate with a full count. That is the third overturned call tonight. Let's see how it turns out!
Rizzo is hit by the pitch. This puts runners at first and second with two outs. The ball just grazed Rizzo's pant leg, if that, and Price is waiting for a review. He gets a review, so we will see in a moment how it goes.
Some throws to first and steos off the mound have prolonged this at bat.
Parra has retired 18 straight hitters faced. He has a 0.96 ERA.
Tied at 1-1. The Cubs have a man on first wioth two outs and Anthony Rizzo at the plate. Kris Bryant waits on deck.
Rizzo is hitting .404 (correction) vs. left-handed pitching this season, and he wil face Parra, the lefty.
Pitching Change: Manny Parra replaces Ryan Mattheus as Anthony Rizzo steps up.
Deep fly ball to right field. Bruce runs it down, but Ross tags and scores the tying run. Credit Fowler with a sac fly and an RBI. That is his fourth fly ball tonight, and this one ties the game.
Fowler is 5 for 37 with RISP.
Line on Jon Lester: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Nice job but still trails 1-0 at this point.
Line on DeSclafani: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R (so far), 2 BB, 5 K. He leaves two runners on base for Mattheus.
Pitching change: Mattheus replaces DeSclafani.
Dexter Fowler (0 for 3) has runners at the corners and one out.
Ball four to Russell, who showed excellent patence after getting two strikes.
DeSclafani has thrown 111 pitches, but he is still in the mid 90's.
Addison Russell is 1 for 2. This could mean the game for either team right here.
Bunted. The sacrifice is successful -- 1-4 on the play as Ross moves into third with one out. High-fives in the Cubs' dugout, but they have not scored yet.
Montero goes back into the dugout in favor of Jonathan Herrera as the pinch hitter.
The ball hit off Todd Frazier's glove and bounded into the corner.
Ripped down the left-field line into the corner. Ross rounds first, and it is a close play at second.... SAFE! Ross is in with a lead-off double.
Hector Rondon is up in the Cubs' bullpen as Miguel Montero hits the on-deck circle.
DeSclafani is still on the mound as David Ross steps up (0 for 2).
Bottom 7 -- Due up: Ross, Lester (pinch hitter most likely), and Russell.
Back to the box goes Negron; Lester snags it and retires the side. 1-0 Reds heading to the bottom of the seventh.
Suarez flies to fairly-deep right, and Baxter puts it away. 2 down.
Ryan Mattheus is up in the Reds' bullpen.
High pop fly to Fowler in center field for Out #1.
Brayan Pena (0 for 2) leads it off.
This is a well-pitched game on both ends, but Billy Hamilton has taken advantage of Jon Lester on the bases and scored the game's only run.
Top 7: Due up for the Reds are Pena, Suarez, and Negron.
Make that three times tonight as he chases one well above the letters to retire the side. 1-0 Reds after six.
Mike Baxter has struck out twice tonight.
Castro pops it up to shallow left for Negron, who makes the easy catch. 2 down.
Saturday's game had three calls overturned and, so far, two tonight. How does that make the umpires feel?
FAIR BALL! The Cubs are 2 for 2 on challenges tonight, and Coghlan is aboard with a one-out double for Starlin Castro (2 for 2).
Replays show some chalk flying up. so it should go as fair, but we are still waiting for the ruling from New York.
Lined shot appears to hit the right-field line for a double, but it is called foul. The Cubs will challenge the call. They have a challenge after winning one in the top of the inning.
Coghlan is o for 1 with a walk.
Bryant chases one way out of the zone for strike three. 1 away. Curve ball very low and very outside.
Kris Bryant leads off the bottom of the sixth. He is 1 for 2 and hitting .299.
Next week, the San Francisco Giants visit the Los Angeles Dodgers for the Sunday Night Game of the Week.
Bottom 6: Bryant, Coghlan, and Castro are due up for the Cubs.
Jay Bruce flies out to center field on the first pitch to retire the side. 1 run, 3 hits. We go to the bottom of the sixth with the Reds leading 1-0.
Fly ball to center field, and Fowler makes the catch. Votto tags as Fowler was moving slightly away from the infield. 2 down, runner at third.
Ross got the tag on Phillips's shoulder just before Phillips tagged the plate with is bare hand.
The score remains 1-0 in favor of the Reds. There is one out with a runner at second for Todd Frazier.
The call is overturned, and Brandon Phillips is OUT at the plate!
Either way, Votto is abaord at second base with a double.
The Cubs may challenge the call at home. The call is safe. The play IS under review.
Votto drives it off the left-fied wall. Phillips comes all the way around from first to score as he beats the throw home. The Reds lead 2-0 as Votto pulls in with an RBI double.
The Cubs definitely need to do something about Lester's reluctance to throw to the bases. They cannot afford to give away extra bases, especially down the stretch at the end of the season if they want to contend.
Votto is 0 for 2. Phillips is getting a huge lead, but with his groin problem, he is not likely to run.
Bloop single into center field, and Hamilton comes home easily. Reds take the lead 1-0 on the RBI single from Phillips.
Hamilton steals third. It is a close play, but he gets his hand in before the tag.
Hamilton is taking about a 20-foot lead, but Lester turns and does not throw.
Phillips is showing bunt, but there is no need with Hamilton able to steal third.
Brandon Phillips is 0 for 2. Hamilton kows Lester does not like throwing to bases.
Smacked down the left-field line for a lead-off double. That spells danger for Lester and the Cubs. Hamilton will likely take third base in this at bat to Phillips.
Billy Hamilton leads off the top of the sixth. He is 1 for 1. He also stole two bases -- second and third.
Bruce made a game-saving catch in the ninth inning Friday, and the Reds won it in extra innings. This catch could turn into a game saver as well pending the rest of this one.
HARD line drive down the right-field line, and Jay Bruce makes the diving catch!!! He saved a run, and the inning ends without a score. No score after five.
The Reds have a shift on for Rizzo.
Anthony Rizzo is 0 for 2 with two well-hit fly ball outs.
Popped up to shallow left, and Negron comes in to grab it. 2 away.
Frazier had to backhand the ball, making a tough transition to his throwing hand. That's likely why it goes as a hit.
Base hit for Russell. 1 out, runner at first for Dexter Fowler (0 for 2).
Ground ball to third, but Fraizer has a littel trouble getting it out of his glove, and Russell beats the throw, Let's see how it is scored.
Addison Russell (o for 1) is hitting .244.
Ground ball to third, and Suarez makes the throw for Out #1.
Jon Lester leads it off (0 for 1).
Bottom 5: Due up for the Cubs are Lester, Russell, and Fowler.
Strike three called on the outside corner. We are still scoreless heading to the bottom of the fifth.
Ross tries to throw to second and mearly threw the ball away. That would have out a runner at third. Not a wise choice with the pitcher at bat. Go after him.
DeSclafani hits with a runner at second and two outs.
Lester did not get the 2-2 call for strike three, and his glare at the umpire said it all. Negron slapped the next pitch into the gap.
Kristopher Negron (o for 1) ropes it to the left-center-field wall and into the ivy for a ground-rule double.
Suarez (0 for 1) flies to right field, and it is an easy play for Mike Baxter. 2 down.
Pena pops it up to Rizzo right by the first-base bag for the first out.
Brayan Pena leads it off. He is 0 for 1.
Top 5: The Reds have Pena, Suarez, and Negron coming up.
Strike three, and the Cubs are down in the fourth. One hit, no runs, and still no score after four.
Ross steps in (o for 1). He popped out his first time up.
Baxter strikes out for the second time tonight. 2 down.
Castro loops a single into right field for his second hit of the night. 1 on, 1 out for Mike Baxter.
Starlin Castro had an infield hit his first time up. It was ruled an error but changed to a hit a half inning later.
Ground ball to first, and Votto makes the very easy play unassisted. 1 down.
Chris Coghlan is 0 for 0 with a walk (correction) as he leads it off.
In the N.L. Central, Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia 1-0, and St. Louis/Kansas City was rained out. Milwaukee lost to Washington 4-0 on Max Scherzer's one-hitter with 16 K's!
Bottom 4: Due up for the Cubs -- Coghlan, Castro, Baxter.
Jay Bruce (o for 1): foul tip, and Ross holds on for strike three. Lester looks very sharp so far, just one hit in four innings pitched. No score after 3 1/2.
Frazier pops it foul, and David Ross makes the catch near the Reds' dugout. Nice running catch for Ross. 2 down.
DEEP drive to center, and Dexter Fowler makes the catch on the run at the track. It looked very good off the bat, but he did not quite get it enough. 1 away. Votto may have gotten it just a bit toward the end of the bat.
Joey Votto is 0 for 1. He is having a terrific season so far after missing 100 games last year due to injury.
Top 4: Reds have Votto, Frazier, and Bruce coming up.
Bryant hits the first pitch right at the shortstop, Suarez, who throws him out to retire the side. 1-2-3 go the Cubs, and after three, it is scoreless.
Desclafani has settled in .
Long drive to left, and Negron will track it down at the warning track. 2 down. Well-hit but out.
Rizzo lined out hard to left in the first.
High, long drive to right once again, but Bruce is there once again for the first out. Fowler is putting a charge into the ball, but he has not quite squared it up.
Fowler lined out hard to right his first time up.
Due up for the Cubs in the bottom of the third are Fowler, Rizzo, and Bryant.
Check swing chopper to third from Phillips, and Bryant makes the thorw to retire the side. 1 hit, no runs. Bottom of the third coming up with no score.
That is Hamilton's seventh steal of third this season.
Hamilton had a huge lead, and he stole third (28). Lester might want to keep him off the bases next time around.
That is the 16th stolen base off Lester already this year. Wow! There are two outs, though.
EASY stolen base for Billy Hamilton (27). Ross made a good throw, but Hamilton is just too fast!
Lester has made only two throws to first in the past two years, and he has Hamilton to deal with now.
Hard grounder through the infield into left, and the Reds have their first base runner.
Billy Hamilton hits with two outs and the bases empty.
Beautiful curve ball from Lester gets him. 1 down for Billy Hamilton. That pitch is just not fair to a pitcher.
Pitcher Anthony DeSclafani hits eighth. He is a career .125 hitter.
High, lazy pop fly to left field, and Coghlan is there. 1 away.
Kristopher Negron leads it off. He is in left field tonight.
Top 3: Negron (.152), DeSclafani (.136), and Hamilton (.217. 26 SB) are coming up for Cincy.
Addison Russell grounds it hard to Todd Frazier at third. Easy out as the Cubs go down in order . After two, there is no score.
Bouncer to Suarez, who makes the play to first. Make that 0 for 62 for Lester. 2 down.
Jon Lester is 0 for 61 in his career, a MLB record to start a career.
Ross pops up to second baseman Brandon Phillips.
Scoring change: Castro is credited with a hit, so no error on Frazier.
Ross has caught all 13 of Lester's starts. He was Lester's catcher in Boston as well.
Bottom 2: Ross (.157, 4 RBI), Lester (.000), and Russell (.245, 17 RBI) are due up for the Cubs. Both teams have the pitcher batting eighth.
Strike three to Suarez, and the Reds go down in order again. No score in the middle of the second.
Eugenio Suarez: .273, 1 HR, 3 RBI in 11 at bats.
Brayan Pena (.302) grouns back to Lester, who flips to Rizzo for the second out.
All of the outfield bleachers are now open, and the CUbs drew their biggest audience of the season last night.
Jay Bruce leads it off. .215, 9 HR. First pitch grounded to short, and Castro makes the play. 1 away.
Top 2: Bruce, Pena, Suarez are due up for the Reds.
Baxter takes strike three off the outside corner. The Cubs leave the bases loaded, and after one, we are scoreless.
DeSclafani is over the 30-pitch mark. He has the bases loaded with two outs in the first.
Mike Baxter is 6 for 21 (.286) on the season. He is in for Jorge Soler, who is injured. Junior Lake was okaying right field, but he was sent to Triple-A earlier today.
It goes as an error on Todd Frazier.
Slow bouncer to third, and Frazier cannot handle the hop. Castro is safe, and the bases are loaded.
Castro leads the National League in hits (909) since his call-up in 2010.
DeSclafini has already thrown 25 pitches in the first inning.
.261, 5 HR, 31 RBI for Starlin Castro.
Ball four to Coghlan puts runners at first and second with two outs for Starlin Castro, last night's hero.
The Cubs are hitting just .234 with runners in scoring position this season. They will need to improve that if they want a chance at a postseason berth.
Chris Coghlan: .238, 8 HR, 18 RBI
No chance for Bruce. It was out of his reach, but credit Bryant for all-out hustle! 11-game hitting streak for Bryant.
Blooper down the right-field line lands just fair, and Bryant hustles into second base with a double. This same type of hustle led to the game-winning run last night.
Kris Bryant: .297, 7 HR, 35 RBI. He leads N.L. rookies in hits.
VISCIOUS line drive right to the left fielder Kristopher Hegronm for Out #2.
Anthony Rizzo: .314, 11 HR, 33 RBI
Long drive to right field, and Jay Bruce runs it down near the corner. Fine running catch for the first out.
Fowler is hitting .247 with 7 HR, 17 RBI, 11 SB. He faces Anthony DeSclafani.
Bottom 1: Cubs will send up Dexter Fowler, Anthony Rizzo, and Kris Bryant.
High pop fly to shallow center field, and Fowler settles under it. 1-2-3 go the Reds in the first. No score.
Todd Frazier (.291, 18 HR, 29 RBI). He is hitting .449 with 6 HR in the first inning.
Hot shot to 1B Anthony Rizzo, who makes the play unassisted. 2 down
Joey Votto: .296, 14 HR, 36 RBI.
Ground ball to short, and Castro makes the play look very easy. Phillips is slow down the line with that groin injury. 1 away.
Phillips (.305, 3 HR, 25 RBI) steps in!
The Cubs take the field, and Lester hits the mound!
Leading off is Brandon Phillips (.305). He is a little banged up, but Price has him in the starting lineup tonight.
Top 1: Due up for the Reds are Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, and Todd Frazier.
There is a threat of rain in the Wrigley Field area. Remember the nearly three-hour rain delay (2:48) in last night's game.
We are only a few minutes away from the first pitch.
The Cubs announced via Twitter that they have optioned RF Junior Lake to Triple-A Iowa and recalled RHP Brian Schlitter.
Keys to the game: Scoring runs early and avoiding defensive mistakes will determine who wins this game. For the Reds, they simply need to have a lead going into the later innings for Parra, Hoover, and Chapman to protect. The Cubs cannot let that happen. Lester needs to pitch like the ace he is, and the Cubs' bats need to come alive early. A Cubs win and a Pirates loss will leapfrog the Cubs back into second place.
The Reds’ starting lineup:
1. Brandon Phillips, 2B; 2. Joey Votto, 1B; 3. Todd Frazier, 3B; 4. Jay Bruce, RF; 5. Brayan Pena, C; 6. Eugenio Suarez, SS; 7. Kristopher Negron, LF; 8. Anthony DeSclafani, P; 9. Billy Hamilton, CF
The Cubs’ starting lineup: 1. Dexter Fowler, CF; 2. Anthony Rizzo, 1B: 3. Kris Bryant, 3B: 4. Chris Coghlan, LF: 5. Starlin Castro, SS; 6. Mike Baxter, RF: 7. David Ross, C: 8. Jon Lester, P: 9. Addison Russell, 2B
Cubs’ starting pitcher
Jon Lester (4-5, 4.25) has had a roller-coaster season season. He has made 12 starts and allowed 34 earned runs in 72 innings while compiling a high WHIP of 1.43. He started slowly, caught fire, and cooled off. He had a rough outing his last time out, allowing five runs in 4 1/3 innings in losing to the Detroit Tigers on June 9.
Reds’ starting pitcher
Anthony DeSclafani (5-4, 3.53) has held his own in the Reds’ rotation. He has made 12 starts so far, allowing 28 earned runs in 71 1/3 innings while compiling a very good 1.30 WHIP. In his last start, he allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings in defeating the Philadelphia Phillies on June 9.
Meanwhile, the Cubs rank 10th with 248 runs scored, but they seem to score just enough as they are 18-11 in one-run games. Kris Bryant is a Rookie of the Year candidate with his .297/.407/.494, 7 HR, 35 RBI line. Look for him to compete for that Rookie of the Year honor barring a major second-half collapse. Anthony Rizzo has driven in 37 runs with 11 HR, and he has an OPS of .999.
The Reds are eighth in the National League in runs scored (251), but they have two men (Votto with 39 and Frazier with 36) close to 40 RBI. Phillips has 29, so when he returns to a starting role, he will help greatly. Frazier (18) and Votto (14) also lead the team in home runs each.
The Reds have third baseman Zack Cozart out for the season, which comes as a huge blow to their offense. Joey Votto and Todd Fraizer are still there and performing up to expectations, but losing Cozart and having Brandon Phillips unable to start every day at this point really hurts.
Chicago starters are fifth in the National League with a 3.78 ERA. Three of the five starters are at 3.80 and below with Jason Hammel leading at 2.81. The bullpen has a 3.39 ERA, eighth in the National League. The bullpen has struggled of late, but it is starting to come back around. Hector Rondon is 11 for 14 in save opportunities. The recent signing of Rafael Soriano will help when the big right-hander gets the callup.
As play began on June 14, The Reds’ starting rotation is eighth in the National League with a 4.11 ERA. Aside from Johnny Cueto, no one else has really stepped up. However, DeSclafani has done well at 3.53. The bullpen is 13th at 4.33, but the back end of Manny Parra, J.J. Hoover, and Aroldis Chapman has done more than its share of good work. Chapman, the flame thrower, is 13 for 14 in save opportunities with 47 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings. Lefty Sean Marshall could help when he returns from a long-term injury.
Following this four-game series, which concludes tonight, the Reds will complete their road trip with two games against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. They return home Wednesday for two more with the Tigers and three with the Miami Marlins. Chicago has a two-game home series with the Cleveland Indians before heading to Cleveland for two and the Minnesota Twins for three.
This four-game series began Thursday night with the Cubs winning Game 1 6-3. An extra-inning battle saw Cincinnati edge out a 5-4 win Friday. On Saturday, the Cubs won 4-3 it on Starlin Castro's walk-off single to take a 2-1 series lead. Tonight, the Reds look to even up the series. Chicago has won six of the eight meetings on the season so far, and the two teams will meet again for four games at Great American Ballpark from July 20-22, including a double-header.
Entering play on June 14, the Reds (28-33) find themselves in fourth place, 12.5 games behind St. Louis, Meanwhile, the Cubs (33-27) are in third place, seven games out but holding onto the second wild card spot, trailing the Pittsburgh Pirates by a half game. These two division rivals square off Sunday night as Anthony DeSclafini (5-4, 3.53) takes the mound for Cincinnati while the Cubs counter with Jon Lester (4-5, 4.25).
At this point in the Major League Baseball season, we are starting to see which teams will contend for a postseason berth and a division title and which teams will simply play out the string in the second half. In the National League Central, it appears that the St. Louis Cardinals will easily take control of the title, but this division could possibly have two wild card contenders, and the Chicago Cubs team is one of them.
