Ian Happ loooooooves hitting in Cincinnati, man. A three-run (impossibly golfed) homer, a run-scoring single, and another 384-foot barrel that found a glove. What a night for him. Again.
We also got to see Franmil Reyes hit his first homer with the Cubs, a two-run oppo shot.
It was one of his less effective outings this year, but Adrian Sampson wasn’t terrible (again). His line could’ve been worse if the bullpen didn’t clean up for him, but still, he had moments where he looked fine. Not great, but back-of-the-rotation fine. The quest to figure out his deal continues.
That bullpen cleanup came in the form of Sean Newcomb looking incredible – he came in with two on and went strikeout, strikeout, strikeout. Then he struck out two more in another scoreless (two walk) inning. As he’s shown before, it’s late-inning relief stuff. No question about that part. The question is what happens in those times when he completely loses the plate, and whether he and the Cubs can figure out a way to make them less and less frequent.
Willson Contreras, who had one fouled off him earlier in the game, homered in the 9th but might still be feeling the effects of that turned ankle from the Field of Dreams Game – it was a ginger trot around the bases:
It was insurance for the Cubs, who won the game with ease. After Newcomb, Brandon Hughes and Erich Uelmen pitched well, so the two on Sampson were the only two the Reds got.