The Cincinnati Reds took the second game of their four-game set with the Chicago Cubs on Friday night by a score of 3-2. Their second consecutive win of the series and sixth overall, the victory puts the Reds in a tie with the Cubs for second place in the NL Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Reds got out to a 3-0 lead with the help of some spotty Chicago defense and held on through multiple jams and a ninth-inning scare. Nick Lodolo beat Chicago in his second straight outing against the Cubs and Justin Steele couldn’t do the same, losing his third game of the season.
Southpaws Slug It Out In Cincy
While Nick Lodolo and Justin Steele pitched in the last series between these teams in their previous outings, they did not match up. That made Friday night an intriguing lefty showdown in Cincinnati. The surging Reds came in looking to earn at least a split in this series and Lodolo’s performance helped them get there.
He did not have his best stuff and got himself into his fair share of trouble throughout his six innings of work, but the crafty southpaw managed to only allow one run on a Dansby Swanson solo home run in the sixth inning. In the previous inning, Lodolo had loaded the bases and had to face Cody Bellinger. The threat was nullified when Bellinger hopped on the first-pitch fastball and popped it up to third base to end the inning.
Justin Steele probably had the more effective arsenal in Friday’s game, but couldn’t rely on his defense to pick him up in key moments. In a critical fourth inning, Steele had Elly De La Cruz dead to rights off of first base on a pick-off move but First Baseman Michael Busch made an inaccurate throw to second. That allowed the Cincinnati shortstop to be in scoring position when he should have been in the dugout.
When Steele went back to focus on the hitter he was facing, Spencer Steer, he struck him out. Chicago Cubs Catcher Miguel Amaya was unable to corral the third strike, however, and Steer reached safely. With both of these plays happening with two outs, it was poetic when Tyler Stephenson laced a two-run double into left that plated both De La Cruz and Steer.
Cincinnati’s third run of the game came in the fifth and the Chicago defense had a hand in that as well. Blake Dunn recorded his first major league hit in the inning and Ian Happ took his time getting to and getting the ball in from left-center and Dunn took second on the hit. Stuart Fairchild followed that up with a slow roller that made it between the shortstop and second baseman, who were shifted toward the left side.
Chicago Gets Going on Offense
After squandering opportunities early in the ball game, the Chicago Cubs offense got going in the top half of the next inning, with Dansby Swanson leaving no room for error. Swanson sat back on a change-up from Lodolo and sent it to the opposite field and over the wall for a solo home run, the shortstop’s sixth long ball of the season.
Lodolo was done after the sixth inning, having just allowed the one run on four hits, two walks, and striking out seven. The 26-year-old California native earned his sixth victory of the season against just two losses. The Cincinnati bullpen would hold the 3-1 lead until the ninth when Alexis Diaz came on looking for the save.
For the Chicago Cubs, Justin Steele stayed in the game and finished seven innings. The left-hander couldn’t make up for the defensive gaffes that led to the three earned runs but kept the damage to a minimum. Steele was even able to strand a runner in the seventh inning after an error from Miguel Amaya, encapsulating the night it was for Chicago defensively. Steele gave up five hits, walked a batter, and struck out seven Reds in his third loss of 2024.
Chicago Cubs Make It Interesting in the 9th
After the bullpens kept the game clean for both sides, the game entered the final inning with the score still at 3-1. Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell went to the bullpen for his closer, Alexis Diaz. Diaz had a rough start to the season but has been posting solid outings as of late.
Diaz retired the first two hitters of the frame before walking Michael Busch. The Reds let Busch take second without a throw. Miguel Amaya then slapped a double into center field and the two switched places, putting the tying run on second base.
Nico Hoerner, who had been scratched from the starting lineup before the game due to complications from his HBP in Thursday night’s game, pinch ran for the Chicago catcher and a single from Patrick Wisdom would in all likelihood plate the tying run.
Diaz attacked Wisdom in the at-bat. Wisdom had three chances to do damage on a fastball in the zone but could only manage to foul them off. He laid off the tempting sliders down and out of the zone but couldn’t make contact with the one that stayed in the strike zone and he went down swinging to end the game. For Diaz, it was his 13th save of the year and the Cincinnati Reds won 3-2.
From this Series: Cincinnati Reds Superstar Goes Yard in Win Over Chicago Cubs
