'A big statement': Cincinnati Reds complete sweep against Cubs with dominant pitching

The Cincinnati Reds totaled eight runs in their three-game series against the Chicago Cubs, which usually amounts to a slump in hot weather at Great American Ball Park.

This weekend, it resulted in  a sweep.

The Reds had dominant pitching all weekend and scored some timely runs in the late innings. They followed that same script in their 3-2 victory Sunday in front of a crowd of 29,340.

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The bullpen, which is without top arms Tejay Antone and Lucas Sims, pitched 10 1/3 shutout innings throughout the weekend. The same group that cost the Reds some games early in the season has carried the club to four consecutive one-run wins.

"What we’ve been doing is a big statement that we’re good; we got this," Amir Garrett said of the bullpen. "Don’t worry about it, we got it. It’s a wakeup call for us. We’re finally starting to wake up, do our job to the best of our abilities and helping our team win." 

Brad Brach recorded four key outs against the middle of the Cubs lineup between the eighth and ninth innings. One hitter reached base on an error, but Brach just pitched around it. 

Garrett entered for the two-out save in the ninth and he missed the strike zone with his first six pitches, which he attributed to his arm being a little stiff. Pitching coach Derek Johnson made a mound visit and told Garrett to trust his stuff by throwing pitches down the middle. 

After the first two batters reached base against Garrett, the lefty induced a game-ending double play. When Joey Votto slapped hands with Garrett to celebrate, Garrett shouted, "Let's go!"

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It was the first time since 2012 that the Reds swept all of their divisional opponents. 

"It’s the stretch of baseball that I think I am proudest of this season," said Tucker Barnhart, who hit an RBI double in the second inning. "I think it’s unrealistic to think that the offense is going to be there to score five, six runs a game for long stretches of time. To be able to pitch, play defense and keep yourself in games where you haven’t necessarily got a lot of things going at the plate, I think it’s great."

The Reds completed their 11-game homestand with a 7-4 record. They sit in second place in the National League Central, seven games behind the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers. They’ll play seven consecutive games against the Brewers, beginning Thursday.

There have been a lot of heroes in the bullpen, which has posted a 1.16 ERA in its last 10 games. Art Warren, acquired in a trade for cash in the winter, stranded a runner in the seventh inning when he entered to face Kris Bryant. 

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Brach, who signed with the Reds on a minor-league contract in early May, has allowed one earned run in his last 13 appearances. 

"I've seen Brad Brach completely dominate the American League East," said Wade Miley, who permitted two runs in 6 2/3 innings. "I've got nothing but confidence when that guy gets the ball. The way our whole bullpen has been throwing as of late, just hand it off to 'em and let them go."

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The Reds scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning or later in all three games this weekend.

This time there was no big hit. The Reds just made it tough to pitch against them. Trailing by a run in the seventh inning, they loaded the bases with no outs via singles from Barnhart and Eugenio Suárez, and Kyle Farmer was hit by a pitch.

After a fielder’s choice out at the plate, Cubs reliever Dan Winkler hit Jonathan India with a cutter in a 3-0 count. It was the 11th time India was hit by a pitch this season, but arguably the most rewarding.

"Never count the Reds out," Garrett said. "I’m telling you, we’ve got some great hitters out there. We’ve got some guys that can play some ball."

The Cubs brought in lefty reliever Andrew Chafin to face the middle of the Reds lineup with the score tied and the bases still loaded. Jesse Winker, the first batter that Chafin faced, hit a ground ball to first base. It turned into a go-ahead RBI on a fielder’s choice because Chafin was a step slow covering first and there was no attempt at turning a double play.

It wasn’t a pretty way to score two runs after the Reds loaded the bases with no outs, but it wasn’t an easy task. Chafin, who is on a 20 2/3-inning scoreless streak, had stranded his last nine inherited runners before Sunday.

"We put a lot of onus in spring training about figuring out different ways to score runs," Barnhart said. "We relied a lot on the homer last year. Being able to grind out at-bats and string at-bats together is something that, in my opinion, gives you the ability to sustain winning and string along good stretches of play."

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Miley surrendered 10 hits, the second-most he’s allowed in a start this season, but there wasn't a ton of hard contact. The Cubs had three consecutive ground ball hits in the first inning that rolled in the hole between shortstop and third base, which included an RBI single by Javier Báez. 

In the second inning, opposing starter Kyle Hendricks hit an RBI chopper up the middle. It scored Jake Marisnick, who tripled to center field earlier in the inning.

Miley went away from his fastball after giving up two runs in the first two innings, sticking to his cutter-changeup combination. 

"Good teams win those games, man," said Miley, who holds a 3.06 ERA through 15 starts. 

The Reds have a 15-9 record in one-run games this season, which is tied for the best mark in the National League.