New twist on an old tradition, but not a pretty sight for Reds fans.
On a Wednesday night in Chicago, the temperature (49 degrees at first pitch) wasn't all that was chilly. The Reds' bats were ice cold and Jason Marquis didn't do anything to help himself either. Marquis started off rocky in his first start and the trend continued tonight. Marquis gave up a lead-off double to Dexter Fowler, and Anthony Rizzo followed up with a home run in the first inning to give Chicago a 2-0 lead. In the second inning, the Cubs sent 8 batters to the plate. Jonathan Herrera singled in Starlin Castro. Rizzo would draw a walk to load the bases, and Jorge Soler would get plunked to bring in Arismendy Alcantara. In the fourth inning, Miguel Montero would hit a sac fly to center that would bring home Fowler for a 5-0 lead. Marquis lasted four innings. He gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and struck out six. An overworked Reds bullpen would give four scoreless innings (a welcomed sight) in relief.
Marquis' opponent for the night, Travis Wood, turned in a phenomenal performance. Against his old team, Wood retired the first 10 batters he faced before walking Joey Votto in the fourth. Wood threw seven scoreless innings and struck out 7 in the win.
The Reds have now lost four of five after starting the season 4-0. With the win, Chicago moves into first place of the division by half a game. Chicago has already won two series this season. Last year, they did not win a series until the first of May.
Next up for the Reds, they have a day off on Thursday before a weekend tilt in St Louis where they have lost 8 consecutive series. Johnny Cueto returns to the mound for his third start of the year, and second against the Cardinals. He hasn't done very well in St Louis as he holds a 5.80 career ERA, his worst of any stadium. His opponent on Friday will be Michael Wacha.
-Dug
@chansm1th
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