But the guy who hit 49 home runs for the Reds last season appears to be back in his own skin.
Suarez contributed three hits, including a home run, and drove in three runs to carry the Reds to a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over the division-leading Chicago Cubs on Friday night.
Suarez has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games with four home runs and seven RBI and lifted his batting average to 72 points to .190.
“It took me a little bit, but I feel real good today,” said Suarez. “I never gave it up, I just keep going.”
Suarez homered and ripped a solid double, but a blooper to shallow right drove in two runs.
“I enjoyed that one, it was big-time for me,” he added. “I gotta take all of ’em and that was a really big hit for me. It took me a little bit to have a day like this and I have to enjoy it.”
All the Reds enjoyed it immensely as it lengthened their winning streak to three games, tying their season best.
And contributing just as much from the pitching mound was Reds starter Tyler Mahle — two runs, two hits, two walks, 11 strikeouts. He left after 6 2/3 innings with 106 pitches.
It looked as if Mahle’s work day might not last long enough for a water break when he gave up a pair of home runs in the first inning.
His second pitch of the game to Anthony Rizzo landed in the right field seats and two batters later Kyle Schwarber drove one over the left field wall.
It was Schwarber’s 19th opposite field home run over the last two seasons, most in the majors.
That gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead before the Reds came to bat. But Mahle put a triple lock on the door after that — no more hits, no more runs.
“It takes a lot of toughness to do what Tyler did,” said Reds manager David Bell. “He gave up a couple of runs, then stayed after it and shut down a good lineup for several innings and went deep into the game.
“He should feel really, really proud of that effort, because it wasn’t easy,” Bell added.
Mahle, indeed, was proud.
“I could have crumbled after the first inning and I could have totally given away that game,” he said. “But we kept going and found our groove and made it into a good start.
“I haven’t felt like that in a long time, where I felt I was in control,” he added. “It was a great feeling and hopefully I can harness that.”
Suarez cut that 2-0 lead in the half with a leadoff home run in the second and Jesse Winker tied it in the fourth with a leadoff home run.
And the Reds took the lead in that same fourth inning on a double by Suarez and a single by designated hitter Matt Davidson, his first start of the season against a right-handed pitcher.
The Reds added two runs in the fifth after two outs with nobody on. Nick Castellanos singled and Winker doubled. Suarez blooped a two-run single to right, his third hit, to make it 5-2.
After the shaky first inning, Mahle settled in for a long summer’s night, slicing and dicing the Cubs with an assortment of sliders and cutters down in the zone.
After Schwarber’s home run, Mahle gave up no hits and two walks through the sixth inning with 11 strikeouts.
When Mike Moustakas made an error at first base with one out in the seventh, Mahle retired the next hitter. But with 106 pitches manager David Bell decided he had enough and turned it over to the bullpen.
Freddy Galvis homered in the eighth, the Reds’ third solo homer of the game and a big, big blow that made it 6-2.
That’s because Reds relief pitcher Robert Stephenson couldn’t protect it in the ninth. With one out, he gave up a single to Schwarber and back-to-back home runs to Willson Contreras and Jason Heyward.
That made it 6-5 and forced Bell to go to closer Raisel Iglesias with a one-run lead, one out and nobody on.
David Bote popped to left field for the second out and Victor grounded out to second to end it with a gasp.
The Reds and Cubs play a pair of seven-inning doubleheader games Saturday.
Before the game, Phillip Ervin was designated for assignment. And the Reds made a trade, sending pitcher Cody Reed to Tampa Bay for pitcher Riley O’Brien.
The right-handed O’Brien, 25, was an eighth-round pick by the Rays in 2017 and was ranked as Tampa Bay’s 24th-best prospect by Baseball America.
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