‘3 a.m.’ Tommy La Stella one of many Cubs heroes in another rout of Reds

8:31 PM ET

CINCINNATI — Seven pitches into Sunday’s game, you just knew it was going to be a good one for the Chicago Cubs. The Cincinnati Reds had flexed their muscles the night before, finally beating the visitors, 13-5, for the first time in six tries this season.

But the Cubs don’t lose back-to-back games, at least not so far this year. So when fill-in leadoff man Tommy La Stella — Joe Maddon calls him “3 a.m.” — worked the count full after starting 1-2, he had already done his job by seeing some pitches. When he doubled on the next pitch and scored on the one after — a single by Jason Heyward — the Cubs were off and running while Reds starter Alfredo Simon was in big trouble.

“He [La Stella] loves 1-2 counts and he loves them at 3 o’clock in the morning,” Maddon said jokingly after the Cubs’ 9-0 win. “He has a lot of confidence. He has a great way about him. He understands his role perfectly. That’s a big part of it, too. Guys like him can be annoyed they never get a starting opportunity. He’s never annoyed. He just comes ready to play.”

Maddon famously said during spring training that La Stella can “wake up at 3 a.m. and hit anyone,” hence the nickname. And he proved as much, doubling again in the second inning, after starting out in another 1-2 hole, then hitting a first-pitch home run in the sixth. It would have been hard to predict, but Dexter Fowler wasn’t missed at the top of the order on this day.

Tommy La Stella delivered at the top of the order, scoring three runs on Sunday. AP Photo/John …

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