CINCINNATI -- Yep, he's Anthony Rizzo for a reason.

The Chicago first baseman and No. 3 hitter was 0-for-3 with a walk Friday night when he stepped to the plate in the ninth inning with two outs, two on base, and the Cubs trailing Cincinnati, 5-2. Reds right-hander Michael Lorenzen was working his second inning and Wandy Peralta , Cincinnati's only left-hander, was warmed up. Cincinnati manager Bryan Price decided to stick with Lorenzen.

Rizzo jumped on Lorenzen's first pitch and sent it sailing 108 mph over the head of Cincinnati's outfielders and into the right-center-field seats, 369 feet away. Rizzo's second home run of the season tied the score, 5-5, and the Cubs went on to win, 6-5, in 11 innings.

What was Lorenzen's plan against one of the game's best sluggers?

"Just to challenge him and throw every pitch with conviction, just like every single hitter, just like every single other pitch that I throw," Lorenzen said. "With that, I threw it with conviction. He got me. Just tip your cap to him. He's a good hitter. It's Anthony Rizzo for a reason."

Rizzo extended his current hitting streak to 10 games.

"You never think home run," Rizzo said. "These guys do pitch me up-and-in a lot. Off the bat, I thought, yeah, but the wind was kind of strong. I thought it might be a long single if it hit the top of the wall."

He also helped end the game with a nice snag of Billy Hamilton 's line-drive in the bottom of the 11th after the Cubs had scored in the top half of the inning to take the lead for good.

On April 10, Rizzo was batting .172 (5-for-29). Since then, he is hitting .382 (13-for-34). His 216 RBIs since the start of the 2015 season are second only to Colorado's Nolan Arenado (274).

More importantly, he keeps helping his team win close games. Chicago has played 16 games, and 10 have been decided by one or two runs. The Cubs have rallied from deficits of 5-0, 4-1, and 5-2 to win their last three games.

"We just say, 'Here comes the comeback,'" Rizzo said. "It's our cliche motto, but it's true. These are the wins that make the difference."

Andy Call is a contributor to MLB.com and covered the Cubs on Friday.