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Cincinnati
Reds' Devin Mesoraco (39) congratulates Todd
Frazier after his solo home run against the Chicago
Cubs during the
seventh inning Wednesday. The Reds completed the three game sweep of
the Cubs.
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Reds complete sweep of Cubs
Frazier hits
go-ahead HR; Cincy wins 12th straight at Wrigley
reds.com
CHICAGO -- In a battle between friends and former teammates, Mike Leake
might have had a bit more momentum on his side than Cubs starter, and
former Red, Travis Wood.
Leake, with the help of his Cincinnati teammates, outdid Wood on
Wednesday afternoon, and the Reds' 2-1 victory extended their winning
streak at Wrigley Field to 12 games, the most ever by an opponent at
the Friendly Confines.
The similarities between the two starters -- tremendous athletes, quick
workers on the mound, talented hitters who pitched together in the
Reds' rotation from 2010-11 -- are plenty, and both gave their team a
chance to win. But Brandon Phillips' two-out RBI single in the sixth
and Todd Frazier's solo homer the following inning were the difference
for Cincinnati.
"It's fun, definitely, and frustrating at the same time," Leake said.
"You want him to do well and you want yourself to do well. Today we
both did really well. I can't complain."
Leake pitched a season high eight innings, improving to 4-1 with a 1.13
ERA in his last six starts. It was his seventh quality start, and
Wood's third in a row. The Chicago lefty has 12 quality starts in his
13 outings this year, and a 2.67 ERA in seven starts against the
National League Central.
"Woody can pitch," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "We hated to give him
up, but we had to give up something to get [reliever Sean Marshall]. He
was one of my favorite guys here, period. But it's part of the
business. He kind of lost it there for a while when he was so good,
pitched that one here against Philly, and seemed not to have the same
stuff. But now he's got it back again."
The Reds didn't get their first hit against Wood until there were two
outs in fifth, as former Cub Cesar Izturis broke up the no-hit bid with
an infield single to short.
In the sixth, Shin-Soo Choo -- getting a break from the leadoff spot
because of his struggles against lefties and, in particular, Wood --
doubled to left and scored on Brandon Phillips' two-out single up the
middle.
The Cubs had taken the lead off Leake on Nate Schierholtz's eighth
homer of the year, a solo shot in the second.
Frazier led off the seventh with a solo blast to left, his second homer
in as many games.
Leake kept the Cubs in check by striking out the side in order in the
bottom of the seventh, and closer Aroldis Chapman struck out two in the
ninth, topping out at 100 mph on the Wrigley radar gun.
"That was the best we've seen him this year," Baker said of Chapman,
who earned his 17th save.
Both Phillips and Frazier have been fantastic this series. Phillips has
seven RBIs in the three games, along with a few fine plays at second
base, and Frazier has homered in back-to-back games. For Frazier, his
hot hitting comes after a day off, in which Baker instructed the third
baseman to study pitcher's release points to keep him concentrated.
"We've got smart coaches here. The staff knows what they're talking
about," Frazier said. "When you're concentrating on the game, whether
it's watching guys play defense or trying to understand the pitchers
and their viewpoints on things, it keeps you in tune and feeling better
about yourself."
Cincinnati has now won nine of its last 10 against Chicago, and 19 of
22 dating back to last year. The Reds have already clinched the season
series.
"It's a broken record," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "Woody just
pitched another great game and has nothing to show for it."
For the rest of this article, click here
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