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TJ Friedl belted a three-run homer and Will Benson added a two-run shot to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-1 win over the visiting Chicago Cubs on Monday night.

In the eighth, Cincinnati’s Jeimer Candelario connected for his 17th homer of the season, a solo shot, against his former team. Tempers flared after reliever Nate Pearson drilled Tyler Stephenson in the head with a 96-mph sinker on the next pitch. Pearson and Cubs manager Craig Counsell were ejected.

Carson Spiers (4-2) returned from the 15-day injured list (shoulder) to allow just one hit over five shutout innings, leading the Reds to a win in the opener of a three-game series. Spiers walked two and struck out four.

Sam Moll, Justin Wilson and Lucas Sims each threw a scoreless inning of relief before Michael Busch homered off Buck Farmer in the ninth.

Spiers, who only allowed a two-out single by Ian Happ in the first inning, retired the final 12 batters he faced after issuing a leadoff walk to Dansby Swanson in the second.

The biggest jam Spiers faced came in the first inning, when Busch walked with one out. Happ later singled with two outs to put runners on first and second, but Spiers fanned Mike Tauchman to end the frame.

Friedl also helped the Reds escape danger by making a pair of running grabs on the warning track, including a lunging snare of a Swanson fly ball to deep right-center in the seventh.

Benson got the Reds going in the second when he lofted a Jameson Taillon curveball down the right field line. The ball landed on top of the Cubs’ bullpen for Benson’s 12th homer of the year to put Cincinnati up 2-0.

The Reds added on in the third when Spencer Steer scored on a wild pitch.

Friedl lined his three-run homer to the seats in right in the fifth to double Cincinnati’s lead to 6-0.

Taillon (7-6) was charged with six runs on six hits over just 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and fanned four, and the six earned runs were a season high.

The Reds, who traded for Seattle Mariners first baseman Ty France earlier Monday, is one game ahead of Chicago in the National League wild-card race. Both clubs are on the outside looking in heading into Tuesday’s trade deadline.

–Field Level Media