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Senzel helps Reds pound Cubs 10-2

Nick Senzel had three hits, scored four times and cut down a runner at the plate, helping Tanner Roark and Cincinnati beat the Chicago Cubs 10-2 on Sunday.

 

Led by Senzel, the top third of Cincinnati's lineup collected seven of the Reds' season-high 17 hits. Joey Votto singled twice in his third consecutive multihit game, and Eugenio Suarez finished with two hits and three RBIs.

 

The Reds also got five scoreless innings from Roark (4-3) in the rubber game of their weekend set against the NL Central leaders. Cincinnati lost 14 of its previous 19 series against Chicago.

 

The Cubs were hurt by a shaky performance by Jose Quintana (4-4), and their dreary afternoon got even worse when Kris Bryant departed with an injury after colliding with center fielder Jason Heyward in the sixth inning.

 

With two outs and Senzel on first, Heyward and Bryant converged on Suarez's fly ball toward the gap in right-center. It looked as if Heyward and Bryant both called for it before running into each other, and the ball went off Heyward's glove.

 

Bryant, a natural third baseman who occasionally plays the outfield, stayed down as Senzel scored and Suarez hustled into third. Maddon and a trainer ran out to take a look, and the 2016 NL MVP gingerly walked off the field after a short conversation.

 

Maddon said he hadn't watched the replay, but he was told Bryant was hit in the head/neck area. Bryant was cleared to fly with the team to Houston for the start of its six-game road trip.

 

Senzel singled and scored in the first and third innings. He was nearly picked off in the third, but second baseman Daniel Descalso dropped a throw during the rundown. The rookie was shaken up when he collided with David Bote as he got into second, but he stayed in and scampered home on Suarez's sacrifice fly.

 

The Cubs strung together three consecutive singles with two out in the bottom half of the third, but Senzel threw out Anthony Rizzo when he attempted to score from second on Willson Contreras' liner to center.

 

Contreras and Javier Baez homered for Chicago. But it wasn't nearly enough on a tough day for Quintana, who allowed five earned runs and a career-high 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings.

 

Backup catcher Victor Caratini worked the ninth for the Cubs and surrendered Curt Casali's first homer of the season, a two-run drive to left.

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