Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs

There was plenty for All-Star starter Chase Burns to overcome while pitching for the Reds against the Cubs on Sunday night at Wrigley Field. Among the obstacles: heavy rain showers, a tough opposing lineup topped by MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong and his own team's suspect defense.  As Burns persevered, his lineup picked him up with four home runs and he came away with his 15th victory during a series-clinching 7-5 win over the Cubs. He pitched 5 2/3 innings with three runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk with seven strikeouts. "It is what I expect out of him and he knows that, too," said first baseman Sal Stewart, who hit his 31st home run and collected his Major League-leading 105th RBI in the seventh inning. "I said the standard is high for him because I know what he’s capable of. He’s one of the best competitors I know and I’m happy to see him always doing well.” Burns, 23, improved to 15-3 with a 2.79 ERA and 171 strikeouts across 26 starts and 145 innings. He became the first 15-win Reds pitcher in his age-23 season or younger since Don Gullett (1971, 1973, 1974). While throwing first-pitch strikes to 18 of 25 batters, Burns had extra life on his fastball while his slider produced whiffs on 12 of 25 swings. “You could kind of tell before the game in the bullpen. I was feeling good," Burns said. "It helps that this environment was electric -- Sunday Night Baseball -- so I had a lot of fun out there. "You have to be locked in, every batter. There’s no freebies in that lineup. On his fourth pitch of the game, Burns fell victim to the dynamo that's been Crow-Armstrong. A 3-2 fastball over the middle was launched into the right-field bleachers for his ninth leadoff homer of the season and sixth this month. "You’re going to give up homers, especially if you miss a pitch to that guy. He’s seeing the ball really well," Burns said. The deficit was 2-0 after two innings but Héctor Rodríguez's three-run home run to right field in the top of the fourth inning provided a one-run lead.