Spencer Steer belted two of the Reds’ season-high five homers on Friday, lifting Cincinnati to a 7-4 victory over the visiting Chicago Cubs.
Steer joined Miguel Andujar and Matt McLain in launching solo shots off Cubs starter Shota Imanaga before adding a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning off Porter Hodge (2-2).
Elly De La Cruz immediately followed by going deep for the first time in 44 games to boost his season total to 20 homers, matching Steer for the team lead.
TJ Friedl ripped an RBI single in the fifth inning for the Reds (78-76), who have won three in a row to move 1 1/2 games in back of the Mets (79-74) for the final National League wild-card spot. New York was playing the Washington Nationals on Friday.
Connor Phillips (4-0) struck out two batters and did not allow a hit over 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Reds starter Nick Lodolo. Two more relievers bridged the gap to Emilio Pagan, who handled the ninth inning to secure his 28th save.
Matt Shaw launched a two-run homer, Dansby Swanson also went deep and Ian Happ had an RBI double for the Cubs (88-66), who have lost the first two games of the four-game series.
Hodge replaced Imanaga to begin the sixth with the score 4-4. Hodge allowed a one-out single to Austin Hays before Steer sent a 2-2 slider over the wall in left-center field. De La Cruz followed by depositing a first-pitch fastball over the wall in left-center field.
Hodge permitted three runs on three hits in one inning.
Andujar capped an eight-pitch at-bat with a solo homer to open the scoring in the first inning before Swanson responding by going deep in the second.
Happ gave Chicago a 2-1 advantage with an RBI double in the third before McLain homered in the bottom of the inning.
Shaw gave the Cubs a 4-2 lead after belting a two-run shot off Lodolo. The homer was his 12th of the season and first since Aug. 20.
Steer went deep to halve the deficit in the bottom of the fourth, and Friedl’s opposite-field RBI single knotted the contest at 4-4 in the fifth.
