Game Recap: Cubs shut out again, swept by Reds in four-game set |
Dustin Riese
· · 5 hours ago
CINCINNATI - You want to talk about an ugly offensive showing? Look no further than the Chicago Cubs' (88-68) weekend series at Great American Ball Park. Going up against a hungry Cincinnati Reds (80-76) team eager to make a late-season playoff push, it was the Cubs who were on the verge of getting swept in a four-game set.
Anytime your offense is held to seven runs over the course of a four-game set, wins are going to be tough to come by, as the Cubs' offense did them no favors this weekend. Despite another strong start from Jameson Taillon, it was the Cubs' offense going cold yet again as the Reds completed the four-game sweep with their second 1-0 victory of the weekend. Yes, you read that right. The Cubs were handed two separate 1-0 losses over the weekend, with the first one coming in their series opener and the second one coming on Sunday. That shouldn't surprise you when you look at who had the ball for the Reds on Sunday, as left-hander Andrew Abbott took the ball for the Reds. Abbott has had an impressive season, entering the game with a 2.88 ERA. Knowing the Cubs' struggles against left-handers, this matchup played into his hands. For the most part, the Cubs had a nice approach at the plate, forcing him out of the game in just 4 2/3 innings, but with no runs allowed on five hits, Abbott did what he had to do before handing things off to the Reds pen. The same can be said for Taillon, who has looked like a different pitcher since returning from the IL. In 17 innings since returning from the IL, Taillon has allowed three earned runs, bringing his season ERA down to 3.78. Sunday was just another day in the park for the veteran right-hander who gave the Cubs seven impressive innings, allowing just one run and striking out four in what was a tough-luck loss for him. Neither team had much of anything going in the first two innings, but it was in the third when the Cubs had their best scoring opportunity of the game as Michael Busch and Kevin Alcantara led the third off with a pair of singles, putting two runners on and no outs. As was the case throughout most of this series, when the Cubs had runners on, they were unable to capitalize as Abbott worked out of the jam to keep things scoreless. Moving to the bottom of the third, and it was the Reds' turn to put the pressure on as a Matt McClain one-out double set the offense up with their first scoring opportunity of the day. Unlike the Cubs, who came away empty, the Reds managed to capitalize on that situation as Gavin Lux roped an RBI double to right to push home the game's first and only run to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. That was all the offense they would need as the Cincinnati pitching staff continues to impress and is the main reason why they have played themselves into a playoff spot with one week to go. All five of the hits Abbott allowed came in a three-inning stretch, including two more singles from Carson Kelly and Dansby Swanson in the fourth, only to come away empty again. Taillon was equally as good, allowing just two hits from the fourth inning on, as this was going to come down to a battle of the bullpens. As good as the Cubs pen has been this season, it was the Reds bullpen that stole the show with Nick Martinez taking over for Abbott in the fifth and going on to toss 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He was only the start of what was a dominant bullpen from the Reds as Graham Ashcraft and Tony Santillian combined to allow just one hit in 4 1/3 scoreless innings as the Reds completed the rare four-game sweep of the Cubs 1-0. With the loss, the Cubs' magic number remains at four as they have seen their lead for home field in the Wild Card trimmed to three with six games to go. It won't get any easier for the Cubs this week, as they will face a hungry New York Mets team at Wrigley Field. The Mets are in a similar spot to where the Reds were this weekend. Chicago had just six hits in the game, with all six coming from six different players. Chicago will now enjoy their final off day of the season before kicking off their final six-game homestand with the Mets and Cardinals.
