Contreras slam leads HR barrage, Cubs bury Reds
CINCINNATI -- Willson Contreras hit his first career grand slam and Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward each hit three-run shots, lifting the Chicago Cubs to a 12-8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
Contreras went 3-for-4 with a double, four RBIs and four runs. Heyward also had four RBIs.
The home run barrage helped Jake Arrieta (3-0) earn the victory despite allowing four runs in the first. Arrieta struck out eight and didn't walk a batter, but allowed five earned runs and a pair of home runs.
The Cubs (10-7) have won four straight and 20 of 24 against the Reds (9-9), who've lost four straight.
Joey Votto hit a three-run homer and Eugenio Suarez hit a solo shot to briefly put Cincinnati ahead in the first. Suarez added a solo shot in the eighth off Justin Grimm to snap a 14 2/3-inning scoreless streak for Chicago's bullpen.
With a game-time temperature of 51 degrees, Saturday seemed like a good day to pitch, but it didn't turn out that way.
Rizzo, who hit a game-tying three-run home run in the ninth inning on Friday night, picked up where he left off on Saturday, launching Cody Reed's 1-1 pitch into the home bullpen in right field to put the Cubs ahead 3-0.
Rizzo's blast followed consecutive walks by Reed to begin the game after he had retired all 18 batters he faced with seven strikeouts over his previous three games.
Votto's three-run blast to right-center tied the score in the bottom half of the first. He had five RBIs on Saturday.
Suarez put Cincinnati ahead 4-3 with his fourth homer two batters later.
Arrieta allowed four runs on two homers in the first inning after giving up seven runs and one homer in the first inning in his previous 57 starts combined.
Reed's struggled continued into the second inning when, with two outs, the Cubs loaded the bases on a double by Kris Bryant and a pair of walks. Contreras then crushed the first pitch for a grand slam and a 7-4 lead.
Reed (1-1) had five full counts and walked five batters in his two innings. He was charged with seven earned runs and allowed two homers.
Arrieta tripled in a run in the fifth inning to make the score 8-5. It was his fourth career triple.
Heyward made it 11-5 when he crushed a 1-2 pitch for a three-run home run off right-hander Lisalverto Bonilla in the sixth. It was Heyward's second homer this season.
Bonilla pitched five innings in relief for Cincinnati, allowing four runs.
NOTES: Cubs INF Tommy La Stella was reinstated from the bereavement list on Saturday and optioned to Triple-A Iowa. ... Reds CF Billy Hamilton was given a day off on Saturday. Scott Schebler started in center. ... Cubs INF/OF Ben Zobrist was out of the lineup for the third straight day with back tightness. ... According to STATS, the Cubs won three straight games in which they trailed by three or more runs in each for the first time since July 24-26, 1929.