CINCINNATI (AP) – Wilson Contreras hit his first career grand slam and Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward added three-run shots on Saturday, powering the Chicago Cubs to a 12-8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Jake Arrieta (3-0) returned to the mound where he threw his second career no-hitter last April 21 and struggled mightily at the outset, giving up two homers in the first inning. Chicago’s offense pulled him through with another homer-heavy game at Great American Ball Park. Arrieta helped with an RBI triple.
The Cubs have won 20 of their last 24 games against the Reds, including 17 of 21 at Great American Ball Park. The Cubs have homered in each of their last 14 games in Cincinnati.
In the series opener, Rizzo’s three-run homer tied it with two outs in the ninth and set up a 6-5 win in 11 innings. He connected in the first inning on Saturday against left-hander Cody Reed (1-1), who was moved into the Reds’ injury-depleted rotation. Contreras hit his grand slam in the second, which was Reed’s final inning.
Heyward’s second homer in two days made it 11-5 in the sixth. The Cubs hit 42 homers against Cincinnati last season, the most by any Reds’ opponent in their history. Chicago has six homers in the first two games of the series.