Votto homers in record 6th game in row as Reds beat Cubs 7-4

CHICAGO (AP) — Joey Votto set a Reds franchise record by homering in his sixth consecutive game as Cincinnati beat the Chicago Cubs 7-4 on Thursday.

The 37-year-old Votto homered six times in the four-game series at Wrigley Field, and the big first baseman has eight home runs in the six-game streak for a record that dated back to 1900.

A day before MLB's trade deadline, Kris Bryant was a spectator in what might have been his last game with the Chicago Cubs. The 2016 NL MVP wasn't in the lineup and never appeared in the game.

Moments after the final out, Bryant was seen sitting on the bench in the Cubs dugout and staring out at Wrigley Field, his home for all seven of his big league season. The 2015 NL rookie of the year was an All-Star for the fourth time this season.

Votto's 20th homer of the season was a two-run shot in the first, when he hit a fastball from Alec Mills (4-4) into the center field bleachers.

Chicago went ahead 3-2 lead before the Reds roughed up Mills in the sixth to go ahead to stay. After loading the bases with no outs, Tucker Barnhart drove in two runs on a soft groundball that went through the middle of the infield for a 4-3 lead.

The Reds have won five of their last seven games to stay in second place in the NL Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

Cincinnati added three runs off the Cubs bullpen in the seventh, with Kyle Farmer and Aristides Aquino each driving in a run and a Chicago error allowing a third to score.

The Cubs scored three runs off Luis Castillo (5-10), who had only given up three runs total in his first four starts. Patrick Wisdom hit his 16th home run in the fourth, and Wilson Contreras belted a two-run shot in the fifth.

Castillo finished with eight strikeouts in six innings, allowing seven hits.

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source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Votto-homers-in-record-6th-game-in-row-as-Reds-16350634.php