McCoy: Aquino crushes home run out of Wrigley Field, Reds top Cubs

After the Cincinnati Reds gave up 11 walks to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night, Reds starter Mike Minor displayed what can be done by throwing strikes.

Minor gave up 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings Wednesday night, but issued only one walk, enabling him to pitch his way out of every jam.

The Cubs used those 11 walks Tuesday to score nine runs. On Wednesday, despite 10 hits off Minor, they scored one.

And the Reds rolled to a 7-1 victory. Aristides Aquino homered twice and singled, producing three RBI. He is 8 for his last 16 at bats, with three home runs.

Minor induced eight ground balls that produced 11 outs as he coaxed the Cubs into three double plays, a career best.

The veteran left hander began the season 1-10 but has won his last three decisions to lift his record to 4-10.

The Cubs opened the second with three straight singles but scored only one run. Minor struck out Christopher Morel and started an inning-ending double play with a blind backhanded stab of a laser hit by Nick Madrigal.

Aquino quickly tied it, 1-1, opening the fifth by crash-landing a 438-foot home run that probably put a pothole on Waveland Avenue.

Another home run, this one by Jake Fraley with one out in the fourth, gave the Reds a 2-1 lead.

While the Cubs were spraying singles all over Wrigley, the Reds had only three hits off Chicago rookie Javier Assad through five innings.

It all came apart for Assad and the Cubs in the sixth. With one out, the next six Reds reached base —five singles and a walk —for four runs.

Jonathan India singled, Kyle Farmer singled, and Fraley walked on four pitches to fill the bases. Spencer Steer was credited with an infield single and an error on a ground ball to shortstop Nico Hoerner, who threw the ball away as two runs scored.

Donovan Solano singled for another run and Aquino picked on the first pitch from relief pitcher Michael Rucker for a run-scoring single and a 6-1 lead.

Aquino’s second home run came in the ninth. T.J. Friedl had two hits, the only other Reds hitter with more than one hit. The Cubs outhit the Reds, 12-9, but went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Chicago’s Yan Gomes was 4-for-4.

And the Reds bullpen, which walked the world Tuesday, didn’t issue a walk over the final 3 1/3 innings as Derek Law and Joel Kuhnel held the Cubs to no runs and one harmless single in the ninth.

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