CHICAGO _ Javier Baez ripped a 481-foot home run Thursday night, and Cole Hamels pitched the Cubs' first complete game of 2018 in a 7-1 victory over the Reds.
The Cubs expanded their lead to three games in the National League Central over the idle Cardinals.
Baez's homer came on a 3-2 pitch off Anthony DeSclafani with one out in the third inning and cleared the bleachers in left-center field. The distance was measured by Statcast.
The homer was Baez's 27th and his second in as many games.
Anthony Rizzo hit his third home run in as many games, a two-run shot into the right-field bleachers in the first. His 21st homer of the season followed a throwing error by shortstop Jose Peraza.
The Cubs' lineup featured six consecutive left-handed or switch hitters against DeSclafani _ Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, Victor Caratini and Hamels.
Hamels threw 24 pitches in the first but needed only 13 in the next two innings to help earn his first complete game since 2017 and the 17th of his career. The previous longest start by a Cubs pitcher this season was 81/3 innings by Kyle Hendricks in San Francisco on July 9.
Hamels improved to 4-0 with a 0.79 ERA in five starts since joining the Cubs in a July 27 trade from the Rangers.
