CHICAGO — Santiago Espinal hit a two-run homer while pinch hitting in the seventh inning and the Cincinnati Reds held on to beat the sliding Chicago Cubs 5-4 on Friday.
Espinal, who entered hitting just .195, batted for Will Benson with zero outs and Jonathan India on first after a walk. He sent Drew Smyly's first pitch into Wrigley Field's left-center bleachers for his third homer, giving Cincinnati its first lead at 4-3.
''I just stay ready, stay prepared,'' Espinal said. ''It was a knuckle-curve right down the middle. I was just trying to be aggressive, get something up on the zone and got it.''
Tyler Stephenson had two hits and drove in a run for the Reds, who ended a two game slide.
Nick Martini added an RBI and TJ Friedl singled in an insurance run in the ninth. The Reds needed it.
Cincinnati closer Alexis Diaz entered the bottom of the ninth with a 5-3 lead. Pete Crow-Armstrong singled to lead off, then Diaz walked pinch-hitter Michael Busch.
Crow-Armstrong scored on Seiya Suzuki's double to the left field corner with one out. But Nick Madrigal, who had reached on a force, was thrown out at the plate on a terrific relay thrown by shortstop Elly De La Cruz after left fielder Jacob Hurtubise fielded the ball quickly and hit De La Cruz at the cutoff position.
''That's the game right there,'' Reds manager David Bell said. ''Hit the cutoff man and when it's Elly, we want to get him the ball. We know what kind of arm he has. Everybody does.''
