The Chicago Cubs came back from an early deficit to beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 on Thursday night thanks to an eighth-inning home run by Alfonso Soriano, his 20th of the season. The victory ends an eight-game losing skid for the Cubs, one that included some abysmal hitting from the club.
The offense didn't explode on Thursday, but it did enough with starter Chris Volstad pitching pretty well. After giving up a pair of runs in the first inning, the tall right-hander settled in to allow just three runs over six innings of work, with most of the damage coming on a couple of solo homers.
Soriano struggled early in the game, but he came through in the clutch with the game-winning two-run homer in the eighth inning off Logan Ondrusek. Anthony Rizzo also had a strong game for the Cubs, going 2-for-2 with a double and two walks to boost his OBP. Todd Frazier and Zack Cozart each hit homers for the Reds, plus Brandon Phillips had three hits.
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