Belli blasts away Cubs' frustrations with game-changing HR

ST. PETERSBURG -- Cody Bellinger got the big hit for a club that desperately needed it. Héctor Neris got his revenge. And the Cubs got a victory to savor on Wednesday night.

The 4-3 triumph against the Rays at Tropicana Field was the perfect tonic for a Cubs team that entered the night just 5-15 since May 22 and 2-9 on the road during that juncture.

Bellinger’s two-out, two-strike, three-run homer in the seventh inning was the obvious difference-maker.

"Three-run homers change games," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "And that swing definitely changed the game."

"It definitely felt amazing," Bellinger said. "It definitely relieves some pressure. We had been hitting so many balls hard, but right at people."

The bullpen was also a large part of the Cubs’ story.

After Chicago starter Javier Assad was lifted with two outs in the fifth, relievers Tyson Miller (1-0) and Drew Smyly combined to retire 10 straight Rays.

Neris, who blew Tuesday night’s save opportunity by surrendering a three-run walk-off homer to Brandon Lowe, made things interesting in the ninth. He gave up a one-out solo homer to José Caballero before putting runners at second and third, but eventually settled down, getting Lowe to fly out en route to his 10th save.

"Héctor's going to compete and you can count on that," Counsell said. "The moment’s not going to get him, for sure. When things aren’t going right, you just have to keep making pitches. You’ve got to have a real short memory in that job.

"I think with the way Héctor is wired, he’s like, ‘Get me back out there as soon as you can.’ You’re almost glad it’s another [save] opportunity."

The Cubs trailed 2-1 with two outs and nobody on in the seventh. But after Christopher Morel collected a single off reliever Kevin Kelly and pinch-hitter Patrick Wisdom was hit by Garrett Cleavinger’s pitch, Counsell jump-started the offense with a successful double steal.

It was another big opportunity for Bellinger, who was determined to rebound from the fifth inning, when he struck out against Rays starter Aaron Civale with runners on first and third.

"I didn’t come through [against Civale]," Bellinger said. "He threw me a good pitch. I tip my cap on that one, but I was still frustrated. Then I was lucky enough to come up [in the seventh] with almost the same situation."

With two runners in scoring position and a 1-2 count, Bellinger picked on Cleavinger’s 89.7 mph cutter and delivered a three-run blast to the right-center-field bleachers for his ninth homer. It was the third cutter of the at-bat.

"Especially with two strikes and a guy like [Bellinger] at the plate, I think it caught too much of the plate," Cleavinger said. "It kind of changed the game for us, unfortunately."

"It didn’t look like a bad pitch -- middle-down -- but Cody Bellinger’s a really good hitter and he makes adjustments within the at-bat," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "It looked like he made sure that he was going to catch that one out in front. And he did."

"I was just trying to put the ball in play and keep it simple," Bellinger said. "[Cleavinger] has three above-average pitches. In that moment, I was kind of looking for my pitch and trying to put a good swing on it."

Seiya Suzuki got the Cubs on the board with his solo homer to lead off the fourth, but it was the only offensive bright spot for much of the game. The Cubs left the bases loaded in the first, then stranded runners at first and third in the fifth after the Rays took a 2-1 lead.

In the sixth, Nico Hoerner smacked a two-out single, then stole second and third (the latter after replay overturned an out call). But Dansby Swanson’s wicked 105 mph bouncer was speared by Rays shortstop Taylor Walls, who threw for the inning-ending out.

The Cubs’ frustration finally ended in the seventh when Bellinger connected. But Assad made sure the bullpen work of Miller and Smyly wasn't overlooked as a major factor in the final outcome.

"They helped the team out overall," Assad said through team interpreter Fredy Quevedo Jr. "It was really great to see them go out and battle. They kept the game close. And that helped us win this game."