Aristides Aquino homered twice and had three RBIs while Mike Minor allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings as the visiting Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 7-1 on Wednesday night.
Aquino, who recorded his third career multi-homer game, finished with three hits. Jake Fraley also went deep for Cincinnati (54-80), which broke open a 2-1 game with four runs in the sixth to level the three-game series.
Minor (4-10) yielded 10 hits, but only an RBI single to P.J. Higgins in the second inning, en route to recording his third winning decision over a four-start stretch. He struck out three and walked one.
Making his third major league start, Chicago’s Javier Assad (0-1) had his 11-inning scoreless streak as a starter come to an end with Aquino’s tying solo homer in the third.
Fraley put the Reds ahead with an opposite-field solo shot in the fourth off Assad, who was charged with four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six over 5 1/3 innings. The Cubs (57-79) dropped to 5-12 since winning five straight from Aug. 16-20.
Cincinnati was clinging to a one-run lead when the Cubs unraveled in the sixth. Jonathan India and Kyle Farmer hit one-out singles off Assad, and Cubs reliever Erich Uelmen walked Fraley to load the bases. Spencer Steer followed with a tough grounder to third baseman Christopher Morel, who threw wildly to first, allowing two runners to score.
Donovan Solano and Aquino each delivered an RBI single to cap the inning’s scoring for Cincinnati, which bounced back after falling 9-3 on Tuesday in the series opener.
Aquino clubbed his seventh homer of the season in the ninth.
Even with the victory, the Reds are 5-7 against Chicago this season.
Yan Gomes had four hits for the Cubs, while Higgins and Franmil Reyes each added two. Chicago is 3-5 at home following a stretch where it had won nine of 11 home games.
–Field Level Media