Once pitcher Mike Lorenzen homered Justin Layne Jersey , the Cincinnati Reds got rolling again.

Jesse Winker added a pinch-hit, three-run homer in a big seventh, and the Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 8-6 Sunday for their seventh straight win.

Lorenzen’s homer was the third of his career and second in two games by a Reds pitcher. Anthony DeSclafani hit a grand slam on Saturday, the first by a Reds pitcher since 1959.

”In a game like today we feel like we’re not meant to lose,” Lorenzen said.

The last-place Reds completed a four-game sweep of the Cubs for the first time since 1983 at Riverfront Stadium. Their winning streak is their longest since a 10-game surge in July 2012.

”We know what we can do,” Winker said. ”It is cool coming to the field and expecting to win. We’re in June right now. We are taking care of June. To win a game, it takes a group effort. There’s plenty of season left. We’re going to keep grinding good at bats. It’s been a lot of fun.”

After Chicago scored five times in the fifth, Lorenzen homered in the bottom half.

The Reds trailed 6-1 going into the seventh. Winker went opposite field on Pedro Strop’s first pitch after relieving Mike Montgomery to cut Chicago’s lead to 6-5.

Joey Votto delivered the go-ahead double as the next four batters reached against Strop (3-1), who retired just two of the nine batters he faced in his first appearance since Tuesday.

”Strop had plenty of rest – maybe too much http://www.steelersfootballauthentics.com/benny-snell-jr.-jersey-authentic ,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. ”I felt like he was the right guy. It just didn’t work. They got two pinch-hit homers, one by a pitcher. They had some great at-bats.”

Said Strop: ”It’s always good to be fresh.”

”I’m not blaming that. I didn’t feel like I had command of my fastball. I think that was the key. I was getting behind hitters, and I was a little bit too fine when I got ahead,” he said.

Jose Peraza drove in two runs and Tucker Barnhart had the game-tying RBI as the Reds set a season high for runs.

”We’ve never quit,” manager Jim Riggleman said. ”We’ve always battled. It’s Major League Baseball. You better keep playing for nine innings. We had that stretch where we were down three or four runs in the early innings. We were competitive and came back in some of them. As of late, we haven’t had to do that. The starters have done a good job.”

Seven runs are the most allowed in one inning this season by the Cubs, who have lost six of their last eight.

”You don’t change things,” Maddon said. ”You still eat. You still sleep. You still pet your puppy.”

The Reds overcame a fifth-inning two-run homer by slumping Anthony Rizzo, who went 1-for-14 in the series, and a solo shot by Albert Almora Jr. off Jackson Stephens (1-0) Zach Gentry Jersey , which gave Chicago a 6-1 lead in the seventh.

Amir Garrett had three strikeouts in the eighth before Raisel Iglesias picked up his 13th save.

Montgomery started in place of Tyler Chatwood, who left for Chicago early Sunday morning when his wife went into labor. The left-hander kept the Reds scoreless until Lorenzen’s homer with two outs in the fifth inning.

START OVER

Reds 3B Eugenio Suarez went 0 for 3 before leaving in a double switch, snapping his hitting streak at a career-high 13 games, the longest active streak in the major leagues.

BIG STEP

Cubs RHP Yu Darvish is expected to throw 75 pitches or four to five innings of his first rehab start on Monday with Single-A South Bend. Darvish has been out since May 20 with right triceps tendinitis.

QUICK RETURN

The Reds activated OF Scott Schebler from the bereavement list before Sunday’s after missing three games, the minimum amount of time he could spend on the list. OF Phillip Ervin was optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Schebler went 1 for 3 with two walks.

WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR

Sunday’s game was the Cubs’ last in Cincinnati this season. The remaining 10 games between the two teams will be played in Chicago.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: 3B Kris Bryant missed his second straight start and is day-to-day with a sore left shoulder.

Reds: RHP Homer Bailey, out since June 2 with right knee inflammation, threw 86 pitches in six innings of a rehab start with Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Cubs: RHP Duane Underwood will be recalled from Triple-A Iowa to make his major league debut as Chicago tries to keep its starters on regular rest.

Reds: RHP Tyler Mahle (6-6) is 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA in four June starts.

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Josh Allen played with the poise of a well-seasoned quarterback for the Buffalo Bills by accounting for three touchdowns in his first road start in the NFL. Allen made Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins look like the raw rookie in a stunning 27-6 upset of the Vikings on Sunday afternoon.Cousins had three turnovers, including a lost fumble on a third-down sack inside Minnesota’s 20-yard line, on each of the first two possessions. Buffalo turned those recoveries into 10 points and was on cruise control by midway through the second quarter as the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium cranked up the boos.The Vikings (1-1-1) were 16½-point favorites when the game began, allowing the Bills (1-2) to become only the sixth such underdog in the NFL’s last 81 point spreads that big. After being outscored 75-9 over their first six quarters of the season L.J. Collier Jersey , the Bills have enjoyed a 41-9 advantage over the last six periods.Allen, the seventh overall pick in the draft out of Wyoming who took the job earlier than expected in relief of a struggling Nathan Peterman in the opener, completed 15 of 22 passes for 196 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to wide-open tight end Jason Croom.Though Allen took three sacks and fumbled three times, the Bills were able to recover all of them. He settled almost exclusively for safe underneath or sideline throws, but took advantage of several broken coverages by the Vikings for chain-moving gains.Where Allen did the most damage was on the ground, putting together a mini-highlight film with his feet while injured running back LeSean McCoy watched in team-colored sweats — with a big smile — from the sideline. Allen dived to finish a 10-yard run by beating Anthony Barr to the edge of the end zone and scraping the pylon with the ball to finish the game’s first drive.At the end of the first quarter on third-and-9, Allen sprinted straight up the middle out of a collapsed pocket and hurdled Barr 2 yards short of the marker to get the first down. He capped that possession with a 1-yard touchdown sneak on fourth down for a 24-0 lead in the second quarter.Allen became the first Bills rookie to run and pass for at least one score each in his first career road start.With running back Dalvin Cook (hamstring) inactive and the score so lopsided, the Vikings set a franchise record for fewest rushing attempts with six. Cousins took four sacks.That’s because Buffalo’s front seven, with former Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier serving as defensive coordinator http://www.seahawksfootballauthentics.com/marquise-blair-jersey-authentic , overwhelmed Minnesota’s offensive line. Left tackle Riley Reiff was beaten regularly by Jerry Hughes, who had one of the sacks that caused a fumble. Linebacker Matt Milano had a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery. Defensive end Trent Murphy took credit for the other strip sack.The Bills, including their playoff game, went the final eight games of last season without recovering a fumble.Cousins finished 40 for 55 for 296 yards and a late touchdown to Kyle Rudolph.GOING GREENThe Vikings inducted the late Dennis Green, who’s second behind Bud Grant in winning percentage as a head coach, into their Ring of Honor. Green, who guided the Vikings to the playoffs in eight of his 10 seasons, became the 24th member. The Vikings beat the Bills in all three meetings under Green.INJURY REPORTBills: Beyond McCoy (rib) and Gaines (elbow), backup DE Shaq Lawson (hamstring) was inactive. … C Russell Bodine D.K. Metcalf Jersey , who started in place of Ryan Groy, limped off with leg cramps in the third quarter. Groy, who had moved to LG when Vlad Ducasse left with an injury, shifted back to the middle as Ducasse re-entered. … Lewis left with an injury in the fourth quarter, as did Murphy (ankle).Vikings: In addition to Cook and DE Everson Griffen (knee), backup TE David Morgan (knee) and PR Marcus Sherels (ribs) were held out. … CB Trae Waynes (ankle) left the game in the first quarter and did not return. … RT Rashod Hill (ankle) limped off in the second quarter and was replaced by rookie Brian O’Neill.UP NEXTBills: Play at Green Bay next Sunday.Vikings: Play the Rams in Los Angeles on Thursday night.___