Wells takes no-hitter into 7th, Cubs beat Reds 3-1
Lately, the Cubs have had precious little luck scoring runs.
That trend continued Saturday as the North Siders wasted golden opportunities in each of the first five innings.
Through five against starting pitcher Johnny Cueto, the Cubs had already stranded 12 baserunners - eight in scoring position - despite 3 doubles, 4 singles and 4 walks. And they went on to strand 17 runners, a franchise record for a nine-inning Cubs game since the live-ball era began in 1920, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
But starting pitcher Randy Wells kept his team in the game by carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and the offense finally came through with 3 runs in the sixth en route to a 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field.
"Three (runs) looked like 13 to me," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella, whose team had scored a total of 6 runs in its previous five games on the homestand and had been shut out five times in 13 games.
However, all those early stranded baserunners had a positive cumulative effect: They upped Cueto's pitch count to 101 through 5 innings. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the sixth and things changed for the better soon thereafter for the Cubs against reliever Jordan Smith.
Alfonso Soriano, who had stranded 4 runners in his first 3 at-bats despite a hard-hit groundball in the first inning, finally gave the 40,677 at Wrigley Field something to cheer about with one out and the bases loaded in the sixth. He fought off a 1-2 pitch, took a ball to even the count and blooped a single to left-center field to put a run on the scoreboard for the first time in 16 innings.
"Thank God I put the ball in play and nobody catch it because we pushed," Soriano said. "It's a very good win for us today because in almost every inning we had a runner in scoring position, so it was a very good game for us to win.
"Sometimes we hit the ball so hard and you make the out. Sometimes you have to hit it and like bloop it and get a hit. That's the game. In the first inning, I hit it hard and they make a good play. In that at-bat (in the sixth) I kept fighting and finally got the hit. I think it was a very important hit for the team."
Catcher Geovany Soto, who had stranded 5 runners in his first 3 at-bats, delivered a two-out, ground-rule double to the ivy in left field to plate 2 more runs in the sixth, giving the Cubs a 3-0 lead.
"Every time you get guys in scoring position, you're trying your best to get them in and get the RBIs, to get the singles, to get things going," Soto said. "And every time you don't do it it's like, 'Here we go again.' We're doing our best out there and sometimes that's the way it goes. Luckily, it was a good day for us."
Wells didn't allow a hit until Chris Heisey singled to lead off the seventh, and he held the Reds to a total 1 run on 5 hits in 72/3 innings before giving way to Carlos Marmol, who notched four outs to earn his 15th save.
"I was just pleased right out of the bullpen today," said Wells, who snapped a personal 6-game losing streak. "I had a good feel for the fastball down and away and my breaking ball, and I was able to mix the ball in and out and up and down and in and out. Things were kind of clicking for me."
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Cubs 3, Reds 1</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Loaded for Soto: Geovany Soto came to the plate twice against the Reds with the bases loaded. He grounded out to second base with the bags packed to end the third inning, but he came through with a clutch 2-run double in the sixth inning that gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead. It was his second hit in 4 at-bats with the bases loaded this season. He has a walk, a double and 5 RBI with the bases full. </p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Votto on base... again: Reds first baseman Joey Votto singled off Randy Wells in the seventh inning, extending his streak of reaching base to 41 consecutive games. It is the longest streak in baseball this season. Votto also extended his hitting streak to seven games, a span in which he is hitting .429 (12-for-28).</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Marmol-aid: Cubs closer Carlos Marmol relieved Wells with two outs in the eighth inning and recorded his 15th save of the season. It was only his third save opportunity in the team's last 23 games. He struck out one batter to up his season total to 69 strikeouts in 38 innings.</p>