Cubs on a roll as Reds come to town
The Chicago Cubs look to continue their 最近の run of success when they open a three-game series against the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Friday afternoon.
Chicago has won four straight games and nine of its past 11 and is suddenly batting the St. Louis 枢機けい／主要なs for the 国家の League Central lead.
The Cubs are 16-9 at home entering a matinee game against a Cincinnati squad that had to travel late Thursday from the nation's 資本／首都. The Reds lost the 完成 of a 一時停止するd game 5-3 to the Washington 国家のs on Thursday afternoon before winning the 定期的に scheduled game 3-0 in the evening.
Cincinnati took two of three from the 国家のs after losing six of the previous seven games.
This the teams' second 会合 of the season. The Reds won two of three at home against the Cubs from April 30-May 2.
Chicago's Javier Baez went 4-for-13 with a ホームラン, four 打点s and a stolen base during that series. On Thursday, he was hitless in four at-bats but 燃料d the Cubs' 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh 著作権侵害者s with a 素晴らしい baserunning 作戦行動.
Baez 攻撃する，衝突する a seemingly inning-ending ゴロ in the third inning with catcher Willson Contreras on second. However, the throw from 著作権侵害者s third baseman Erik Gonzalez was wide, and first baseman Will Craig was off the base when he caught the ball.
Craig could have stepped on first to end the inning. 一方／合間, Baez decided to backtrack toward home plate and Craig surprisingly chased him in 追跡. As Baez was 近づくing home, Contreras was 長，率いるing toward the plate and Craig frantically 投げ上げる／ボディチェックするd the ball late to catcher Michael Perez as Contreras slid in 安全に.
Baez then took off toward first, the throw by Perez went into 権利 field and the Chicago shortstop ended up at second. Ian Happ followed with an 打点 選び出す／独身 to give the Cubs a second run they shouldn't have 得点する／非難する／２０d.
"Let's say I improvise," Baez said. "At the moment, I can 反応する pretty 急速な／放蕩な to things like 反対／詐欺 tact and stuff like that. But I'm pretty good at tagging and not letting people tag me."
Chicago 経営者／支配人 David Ross, a チーム仲間 of Baez on the franchise's 2016 World Series 選手権 team, has long been impressed with the mental 味方する of Baez's game.
"He has just this way about him that, whether you call it swag or baseball IQ. He plays a game like a kid," Ross said. "I think that's why a lot of people 落ちる in love with him."
一方／合間, Cincinnati's Eugenio Suarez 攻撃する，衝突する two ホームランs in the series against Washington to raise his season total to 11. He is third on the team behind 足緒 Winker (13) and Nick Castellanos (12).
"It was a big 勝利，勝つ for us," Winker said after the Reds' 3-0 勝利 Thursday. "We're just out here trying to help the team 勝利，勝つ and play some baseball; that's really it. There's so much that's out of our 支配（する）／統制する, so you just try to come here and help the team 勝利，勝つ any way you can."
Cincinnati 権利-hander Vladimir Gutierrez is 予定するd to be 解任するd from ３倍になる-A Louisville to make his major league debut Friday.
The 25-year-old Cuba native went 2-0 with a 2.65 ERA in three starts at Louisville. He 許すd nine 攻撃する，衝突するs and seven walks while striking out 21 in 17 innings.
権利-hander Adbert Alzolay (2-4, 4.30 ERA) will be on the 塚 for Chicago. The 26-year-old has struck out 45 and walked just seven in 44 innings over eight starts.
Alzolay lost to the St. Louis 枢機けい／主要なs in his last 遠出, giving up two runs and five 攻撃する，衝突するs over seven innings. He has a 5.79 ERA in two career 外見s (one start) vs. the Reds.
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (支援する) is 疑わしい after 行方不明の the past two games.
--Field Level マスコミ
