CHICAGO (AP) — Pinch-hitter Michael Conforto capped a two-run ninth inning with a solo homer, and the Chicago Cubs rallied to beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 on Monday night for their sixth straight victory.
Seiya Suzuki hit a 455-foot home run for the NL Central leaders, who improved to 23-12 with their 16th win in 19 games. Chicago has won 12 in a row at home, the team’s best streak at Wrigley Field since a 14-game run in 2008.
The Reds took a 4-3 lead in the eighth when Spencer Steer lined an RBI single against Ben Brown, only to drop their fourth straight.
Pete Crow-Armstrong tripled leading off the ninth against Emilio Pagán (2-1) on a ball that popped out of center fielder Dane Myers’ glove as he tried to make a leaping catch against the wall. Crow-Armstrong scored one out later on Nico Hoerner’s sacrifice fly.
Conforto, batting for Matt Shaw, then drove a 3-2 pitch to left-center and was mobbed by happy teammates as he crossed home plate.
The teams waited out a delay of 1 hour, 40 minutes at the start because of a thunderstorm after the game was initially moved up a half hour.
The Cubs trailed 3-0 in the fourth before Suzuki tied it with a three-run drive off Chase Petty, Chicago’s longest homer of the season.
Edward Cabrera went six innings, allowing three runs and nine hits. He gave up a homer to JJ Bleday leading off the third and a two-run drive to Ke’Bryan Hayes in the fourth.
Ryan Rolison (2-0) worked the ninth.
In his first major league start this season, Petty gave up three runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. The Reds recalled the right-hander from Triple-A Louisville prior to the game.
Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon (2-1, 4.41 ERA) looks to win his second straight start, while LHP Andrew Abbott (1-2, 5.97) gets the ball for the Reds. Taillon tossed seven solid innings at San Diego last week.
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