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CINCINNATI – Once pitcher Mike Lorenzen played, the Cincinnati Reds started to roll again.
Lorenzen scored a shot to start the return of Cincinnati, Jesse Winker added a one-hit, three-point homer in a big seventh, and the Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 8-6 on Sunday for their seventh consecutive victory.
The Lorenzen circuit was the third of his career and the second in two games by a Reds pitcher. Anthony DeSclafani hit a grand slam on Saturday, the first by a Reds pitcher since 1959.
"In a match like today, we feel like we are not made to lose," Lorenzen said.
The Reds' last place completed a four-game Cubs sweep for the first time since 1983 at the Riverfront Stadium. Their winning streak is the longest since a 10-game surge in July 2012.
"We know what we can do," said Winker. "It's cool to come out on the field and expect to win, it's June now, we're taking care of June, and winning a game requires a group effort. We will continue to grind bats well, it was a lot of fun. "
After Chicago scored five times in the fifth, Lorenzen dominated in the bottom half.
The Reds followed 6-1 before the seventh. Winker went the other way on Pedro Strop 's first pitch after relieving Mike Montgomery to reduce Chicago' s lead to 6-5.
Joey Votto gave the green light for the next four batters against Strop (3-1), who pulled out only two of the nine batters he faced in his first appearance since Tuesday.
"Strop had a lot of rest – maybe too much," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon. "I felt like the good guy, it just did not work, they got two home runs, one by one, and they had very good battles."
Says Strop: "It's always good to be cool."
"I do not blame it, I did not feel like I had the command of my fastball, I think it was the key, I was complaining behind the batters, and I was a little too good when I passed by, "he said.
Jose Peraza led in two innings and Tucker Barnhart had the match-match RBI while Reds set a high season for races.
"We have never given up," said manager Jim Riggleman. "We've always struggled, it's Major League Baseball, you'd better keep playing for nine rounds, we had that stretch where we were three or four points in the first innings, we were competitive and came back in some of them, lately we did not have to do it, the starters did a good job. "
Seven innings are the most allowed in one round this season by the Cubs, who have lost six of their last eight.
"You do not change things," said Maddon. "You always eat, you always sleep, you always caress your puppy."
The Reds overcame a two-run homer in the fifth inning against Anthony Rizzo, who won 1: 14 in the series, and a solo shot by Albert Almora Jr. off Jackson Stephens (1-0), which gave Chicago 6-1 leads to seventh.
Amir Garrett made three strikeouts in the eighth before Raisel Iglesias made his 13th save.
Montgomery began in the place of Tyler Chatwood, who left for Chicago early Sunday morning when his wife went into work. The southpaw kept the Reds aimless until Lorenzen's win with two outs in the fifth inning.
RESTART
Reds 3B Eugenio Suarez was 0-3 before going into doubles, scoring his 13-game series, the longest active league in the majors.
BIG STEP
RB Cubs Yu Darvish are expected to throw 75 shots or four to five innings of his first disintegrating start Monday with Single-A South Bend. Darvish has been out since May 20 with tendonitis of the right triceps.
QUICK RETURN
The Reds activated OF Scott Schebler from the mourning list before Sunday after missing three games, the minimum time that he could spend on the list. OF Phillip Ervin was opted to Triple-A Louisville. Schebler went 1 for 3 with two walks.
WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR
Sunday's game was the Cubs' last game in Cincinnati this season. The remaining 10 games between the two teams will be played in Chicago.
TRAINER ROOM
Cubs: 3B Kris Bryant missed his second consecutive start and is day-to-day with a pain in his left shoulder.
Reds: RHP Homer Bailey, released since June 2 with an inflammation of the right knee, has thrown 86 shots in six innings of a rehab start with Louisville's triple A on Saturday.
FOLLOWING
Cubs: RHP Duane Underwood will be recalled from Triple-A Iowa to make his debut in the big leagues while Chicago tries to keep his starters in regular rest.
Reds: RHP Tyler Mahle (6-6) is 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA in four starts in June.
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