Guillermo Espinal hopes to lead the Reds past the Cubs 3-0.
The Cincinnati Reds welcome the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday in an attempt to finish a three-game series sweep, believing they still have a genuine shot at making the postseason. Tuesday’s 6-3 victory over Chicago was largely attributed to two supporting players who remained in their positions following the trade deadline.
The Reds won for the seventh time in nine meetings between the two clubs. Right-hander Nick Martinez earned the victory after pitching four scoreless innings of relief. Santiago Espinal hit a home run and was just one triple away from completing the cycle.
“One thing I can’t tell you is that we’re going to win a World Series, but what I can tell you is that we’re preparing for it,” Espinal stated. “These people are fantastic; they’re like family to us. For every game, we simply need to be in the moment. We just need to keep moving forward, and we’re happy with where we are right now.”
After Tuesday’s likely starter Frankie Montas was traded to Milwaukee on Monday in exchange for outfielder Joey Wiemer and pitcher Jakob Junis, Martinez is a contender to enter the starting rotation. Boston received reliever Lucas Sims in exchange for pitching prospect Ovis Portes.
