Assad goes career-high 8 IP, K's 7 in dominant start

CINCINNATI -- The Cubs lost a heartbreaker on Saturday -- for the second consecutive night. Right-hander Javier Assad pitched the best game of his career, but he ended up with a no-decision when the bullpen couldn’t finish the job, as the Reds walked it off in the bottom of the ninth to hand Chicago a 2-1 loss at Great American Ball Park.

Chicago had a 1-0 lead going into the ninth thanks to Jeimer Candelario’s home run in the seventh inning. With the bullpen taxed, manager David Ross decided to hand the ball to right-hander Mark Leiter Jr., who was pitching for the fourth time in five games. Leiter faced five hitters and could get only one out, and the Reds tied the game on an RBI single by Elly De La Cruz.

Leiter exited in favor of Jose Cuas, who entered with the bases loaded and one out. Cuas coaxed a ground ball to short from Hunter Renfroe, but though Dansby Swanson made a tough play and got the out at second, Nico Hoerner’s relay throw couldn’t beat Renfroe to first, allowing TJ Friedl to score the winning run.

“Leiter was running on fumes. We were a little bit short [in the bullpen] right there with the doubleheader,” Manager David Ross said. “[I’m] trying to get those guys as fresh as possible.”

• Games remaining: at CIN (1), vs. SFG (3), vs. AZ (4), at COL (3), at AZ (3), vs. PIT (3), vs. COL (3), at ATL (3), at MIL (3)
• Standings update: The Cubs are 4 1/2 games behind the Brewers for first place in the NL Central. The teams have split the season series so far, so the tiebreaker has not yet been determined. Chicago sits in the second Wild Card spot, two games ahead of the Giants, D-backs and Reds and 2 1/2 behind the Phillies. The Cubs have won the tiebreaker over San Francisco, but lost it to Philadelphia and Cincinnati.

Before Saturday’s game, Ross praised Assad for his persistence and hard work. Ever since Assad joined the rotation for good on Aug. 11 against the Blue Jays, the skipper said, he has competed at a high level. He has a 1.62 ERA in five starts over the span.

“He gives you a chance to win every day,” Ross said. “He doesn’t light up guns. He holds the runners. It’s the little things he does well. … He has been a … nice addition to our rotation.”

Against the Reds, Assad threw eight shutout innings while scattering seven hits and striking out seven. The eight innings set a career high, while seven strikeouts tied Assad’s best mark -- which, interestingly enough, he set in his last start against Pittsburgh.

“I was super happy that I was able to go that long,” Assad said through interpreter Fredy Quevedo. “I think everything was going well. Later in the game, I was effective with cutters and sinkers.”

Assad proved particularly adept at managing baserunners, picking off Spencer Steer in the first inning and De La Cruz an inning later. Catcher Yan Gomes also threw out Friedl trying to steal second base in the sixth inning, and he said Assad made the putout possible.

“That was all on [Assad],” Gomes said. “He has good instincts. It’s one of the [main things we focused on], especially [facing] teams like the Reds. Controlling the running game is a big part of it. It was great to see it.”

Assad had thrown 89 pitches after seven innings, but Ross decided to send him back to the mound for one more inning. He needed just nine more pitches to set down the Reds in order in the eighth.

“We knew we needed a big performance from [Assad] today. Him going out for the fourth time through the lineup, he did his job. It was a phenomenal performance,” Ross said. “We need to score more runs. We just weren’t able to.”

The Cubs lost their game on Saturday, but they did learn something: Assad is a key piece in their rotation.

“I want to go out there and give it my all,” he said. “... Thank God, everything has been going great. Whatever the team needs from me, I’ll go out there and just execute it.”