Johnny Cueto Earns 15th Win for Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds completed their seven-game road trip with a victory Sunday as Johnny Cueto pitched 8 innings of shutout baseball to move his record to a league leading 15 wins to go with 6 defeats. The Reds defeated the Chicago Cubs, 3-0.
Cueto allowed only 3 hits and struck out 3 en-route to the victory. It was the third win in a row for the Reds, who broke a season high five-game losing streak while in Chicago. The win kept the Reds (69-46) four-and-a-half games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the division.
The Reds were lead by Jay Bruce, who had a two-run homer in the 5th inning, and by Ryan Ludwick, who had a solo shot in the 6th. It was Bruce’s 22nd and Ludwick’s 21st dinger for the season.
Todd Frazier continued his hot streak by going 2-4 and scoring once. Frazier went 9-15 and had 6 RBI during the four-game series with the Cubs.
The story of the game, really though, was Cueto. The ace for the Cincinnati Reds improved his ERA to 2.45 (3rd in the league). Cueto is certainly a leading candidate for the Cy Young Award this year. He leads the league in many crucial categories and is in the top five in almost all others. When you consider where Cueto pitches (GABP) and you look at adjusted stats in the crucial categories, he is clearly the best pitcher in baseball (#1 in Adj. Wins, Adj. Runs, Base Out Runs and Wins Saved, etc.). He has allowed three runs or fewer in 20 of his 24 starts so far this season.
Aroldis Chapman, the Cincinnati Reds closer, came on to pitch a perfect 9th and record his 28th save. It was his 20th save in a row.
For the Cincinnati Reds, they have the best record in baseball since the All-Star break. They are now, even with the 5 game losing streak, 22-8 since the break.
The Reds return home and will start a long homestand on Tuesday against the New York Mets.
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