Game Recap: Reds double up Cubs

Aaron Doster - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 3 hours ago

CINCINNATI- Where they make the playoffs or not remains to be seen, but the one team the Chicago Cubs (88-67) don't want to see come playoff time is the Cincinnati Reds (79-76). Not only have the Reds taken the season series from the Cubs, but when you look at how good their starting rotation is, they have the potential to beat anyone come the postseason.

Coming into this weekend's massive four-game set at the Great American Ballpark, the Reds knew they needed to take at least three of four for them to remain alive in the playoff hunt. Heading into Saturday, the Reds already had two wins in their pocket, as one more win would guarantee them a series win and have them on the verge of a sweep on Sunday.

Once again, it was the long ball that paved the way for the Reds as they connected for a trio of homers throughout the game, including two massive homers off the Cubs' pen late, as the Reds doubled up the Cubs 6-3. When the pitching matchups were announced for this series, you could make the case that Saturday was the most winnable game of the weekend for the Cubs.

Yes, Zach Littell has been great with the Reds, but he is also one of the worst pitchers at keeping the ball in the yard, and for a team struggling to hit homers, it seemed like a match made in heaven. The long ball continued to be an issue for Littell, as he allowed two home runs in five innings, but with both of them being solo shots, he was able to limit the damage and keep the Reds in the game.

Limiting damage is what Javier Assad has been known for throughout his entire career, as teams have little trouble putting men on base, but struggle to drive them in when they are on base. You saw that again in this one, as the Reds had plenty of traffic on the bases, but once again it was Assad finding a way to limit the damage, allowing two runs in four innings.

Neither team was able to score in either of the first two innings, but it didn't come without opportunities as the Cubs stranded two runners on base in the first, with the Reds answering by stranding two in the second. It wasn't until the third inning that the first run of the game came across home as Michael Busch took Littell deep for a solo shot to put the Cubs in front, 1-0.

For Busch, it was his 30th homer of the season, becoming the first Cub to hit 30 or more homers in a season since 2019. Immediately after watching the Cubs grab the lead, it was the Reds getting something going in the bottom of the inning as a pair of singles from Matt McClain and TJ Friedl set the Reds up with runners on the corners and no outs.

A few pitches later, and it was Spencer Steer keeping his massive series going as he reached base on a fielder's choice and brought home the tying run. That is when Assad started to buckle down on the mound, and despite throwing 36 pitches in the third, he did a great job limiting the damage from the Reds' offense as Will Benson added a late RBI single to put the Reds on top 2-1.

Given how the ballpark has played this weekend, you knew that two runs weren't going to be enough, and with Reese McGuire taking Littell deep in the fifth to tie things up 2-2, this was a brand new ballgame. When it comes to McGuire this season, Cincinnati is his home away from home as he made his season debut in this ballpark and launched two homers while adding his third homer there this weekend.

With the Cubs tying things up in the fifth, Craig Counsell elected to go to his bullpen as Assad saw his night come to an end after four innings. First out of the pen was the left hander Drew Pomeranz as he is one of the Cubs big four in relief. Pomeranz is one of the feel-good stories of the season, as he went from not pitching in an MLB game since 2021 and turned into a legitimate late-inning arm for the Cubs.

This was one of those outings where one pitch did him in as a missed fastball resulted in Steer's third homer of the series to put the Reds back in front 3-2. That goes to show how crucial it is for the Cubs' offense to get going over the final week, as their bullpen won't be perfect all the time.

Cincinnati continued to rely on the long ball in the seventh with Friedl tagging Aaron Civale for another solo shot as the Reds extended their lead to 4-2. It was the Friedl homer that proved to be the game-winner as the Cubs' offense was struggling against the Reds yet again. With only six outs to work with and the flame-throwing Chase Burns on the hill, the Cubs knew it was now or never for the offense.

Willi Castro took it upon himself to give the Cubs life as he took Burns the other way for a leadoff double, putting a runner in scoring position for the first time since the first. A second consecutive double from McGuire followed that double, and just like that, we had a 4-3 game with the Cubs' offense still threatening. Chicago had a chance for more later in the inning with Nico Hoerner reaching on an infield single, only to have Tony Santillian come in to put the fire out as the Reds held a 4-3 lead.

That was as close as the Cubs would get as the Reds added their third and final homer of the night on a two-run blast from Tyler Stephenson off Andrew Kittredge in the eighth, extending the Reds' lead to 6-3 before Cincinnati would win by that score. With the win, the Reds pull within one game of the Mets for the final Wild Card spot as they are quickly becoming a team no one wants to play.

The loss keeps the Cubs' magic number for home field at three games, but with the Padres knocking off the White Sox, the Cubs' lead is down to four games. Things won't get any easier for the Cubs tomorrow as the Reds will send their all star lefty Andrew Abbott to the mound against Jameson Taillon as they look to complete the sweep.