Cubs mash 7 HRs, put up 20 runs in drubbing of Reds

Dansby Swanson had five RBIs and clubbed two of Chicago's seven homers, while newcomer Jeimer Candelario recorded four hits as the Cubs rolled to a 20-9 win over the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

Cody Bellinger added a two-run homer and Mike Tauchman belted a three-run drive for the Cubs, who also got a solo shot from Nico Hoerner, a two-run blast from Patrick Wisdom and a three-run homer from Miguel Amaya.

Those seven homers tied a club record for the Cubs, who posted 21 hits en route to their highest-scoring game this season. Chicago has now won 11 of its last 14 games.

Swanson has homered three times in this four-game series, while Candelario began his second stint with Chicago in style after being acquired from Washington on Monday.

Cubs starter Justin Steele (12-3) won his third straight outing, but he yielded five runs (four earned) and nine hits in six innings.

Tyler Stephenson had a two-run homer and Matt McLain added three hits and two RBIs for the National League Central-leading Reds, who are 4-1 at Wrigley Field in 2023. Cincinnati's Ben Lively (4-7) allowed 13 runs and 13 hits, including four homers, over four innings.

Tauchman led off the first with a single and went to third on a base hit by Hoerner, whose steal of second resulted in an errant throw by catcher Stephenson to bring in the game's first run. Hoerner scored on Bellinger's single, and Swanson went deep, with two men on, for a 5-0 Chicago lead.

Cincinnati, however, scored twice in the second. Spencer Steer doubled and scored following two wild pitches from Steele. Stephenson later singled, went to second on another Steele wild pitch and scored thanks to Candelario's fielding error on TJ Friedl's grounder to first base.

Chicago got both runs back in the bottom of the second on Bellinger's shot off the right field video board. The Cubs added on in the third, as Tauchman, with two men on, found the center field bleachers for a 10-2 Cubs lead.

In the fourth, following Bellinger's single, Swanson went deep into the left-center-field basket. Chicago made it 13-2 via doubles from Candelario and Nick Madrigal before striking for its final seven runs between the seventh and eighth.