Wicks impresses in Game 1, but Alzolay blows save in nightcap

After Cody Bellinger cranked a home run in the top of the fourth inning at Cincinnati on Friday afternoon, Cubs starter Jordan Wicks trotted to the mound in the bottom of the frame with a 1-0 lead.

But Wicks, making just his second MLB start on his 24th birthday, immediately ran into trouble by allowing a single, a walk and an RBI single.

Many unseasoned pitchers would melt down at this point, especially in the heat of a pennant race.

But not Wicks.

Instead, the Kansas State product told himself to calm down.

First and second with one out? No big deal. I've been here a million times before.

"Whether it's the big leagues, Triple-A (or) Double-A," Wicks told reporters, "it's the same situation from level to level. This isn't anything different."

So Wicks threw a first-pitch 91-mph sinker to Stuart Fairchild and got the Reds' No. 9 hitter to pop out to first.

Two outs.

Then Wicks got leadoff man Harrson Bader to ground out to short on an 81-mph changeup on a 1-1 pitch.

Inning over.

The Cubs then used a 2-run single by Cody Bellinger in the sixth inning and home runs by Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ to pull away and beat the Reds 6-2 in Game 1 of a doubleheader.

In the nightcap, the Cubs were two outs away from a sweep, but Adbert Alzolay gave up a one-out home run to Nick Martini that tied the game at 2-2. Christian Encarnacion-Strand followed with a single and pinch runner Stuart Fairchild scored on a two-out RBI single by Noelvi Marte to give the Reds a 3-2 win.

It was just Alzolay's third blown save in 25 opportunities.

The Cubs (72-63) are now 3½ games behind division-leading Milwaukee, which scored 4 runs in the seventh inning and beat the Phillies 7-5.

Wicks (2-0) wasn't particularly sharp early on but was bailed out repeatedly in the first two innings as five of the first six outs were recorded when Cincy batters swung at pitches outside the strike zone. Wicks allowed 1 run on 5 hits while walking three and striking out three.

"Just the poise," Happ said of what impresses him most about the lefty. "He got in some situations there where there was a couple guys on base (and) did a good job of not giving in, not throwing stuff over the middle.

"Kept doing what he does. On the corner. Change-ups under. Soft contact. Not letting little things bug him. That's pretty mature making his second start in the big leagues."

Wicks made his MLB debut at Pittsburgh on Aug. 26, striking out nine in 5 innings and giving up just 2 hits. He has an impressive five-pitch mix, throwing the change-up most often (37%).

Nico Hoerner led off the sixth with a single and went to third on a double by Happ. With the infield drawn in, Bellinger smacked a hard grounder to right field to make it 3-1.

Bellinger, who also homered in the second game, has 22 of his 81 RBIs in the last 14 games.

"He's driving us in all the time, so the guys in front of him ... we're just trying to get on base so he can do what he does," Happ said. "That was the case there (in the sixth). He comes through like he always does. ... He's been spectacular."

As has Happ, who is 13-for-39 (.333) during a 10-game hitting streak. Happ, who played college ball at the University of Cincinnati, has 29 HRs against the Reds, the most of any team's he's faced.

Manager David Ross was asked about Happ's resilience during a turbulent campaign.

"It is just a major league season," Ross said. "(Not many) hit .300 the whole year. There's ups and downs, and staying consistent is work. His mental preparation and the things he has confidence in is big for us.

"We always joke, 'He never leaves Cincinnati without a homer.' He's pretty good here in his college town."

In Game 2, Ross used reliever Jose Cuas as his "opener," then went to Drew Smyly (3 innings, 1 run allowed, 4 strikeouts), Hayden Wesneski (3⅓ IP, 0 hits, 6 strikeouts) and Mark Leiter Jr. (1 IP, 1 hit, 1 strikeout).

The home run by Martini was the first allowed by the Cubs since the first inning of Monday's game against the Brewers.

The Cubs loaded the bases by drawing 3 walks in the first inning, but Dansby Swanson and Suzuki struck out to end the threat.