The Cincinnati Reds were unable to complete the sweep of the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday afternoon. The Cincinnati offense managed just four hits and their lone run came in the 9th inning when the game was already out of reach thanks to three Cubs home runs that led them, along with strong pitching, to a 6-1 win in the series finale.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (60-55) | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Chicago Cubs (66-48) | 6 | 11 | 1 |
| W: Horton (6-3) L: Abbott (8-2) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
Andrew Abbott found himself in trouble in the bottom of the 1st inning when he walked the leadoff hitter and gave up a 1-out single. He was able to get out of the jam with a force out and then a strikeout.
Two innings later the Reds lefty was in a similar jam after giving up back-to-back singles to start the 3rd and put runners on the corners. That led to Seiya Suzuki being able to cash in with a sacrifice fly to left field.
Cincinnati would get their first hit of the game in the top of the 4th when Austin Hays came through with a 2-out double that clanked off of the wall in left field and then off of left fielder Ian Happ’s back on it’s way back down. Hays would be stranded there after a strikeout ended the inning. Two innings later the Reds would get another hit – this time a single from TJ Friedl. Like Hays, though, he’d be started when the next two hitters failed to come through.
Chicago would add on to their lead in the bottom of the 6th inning when Seiya Suzuki led off with a solo home run against Andrew Abbott. The Cubs made it 3-0 on another leadoff homer in the 7th as Dansby Swanson crushed his 18th of the year. Abbott would retire the next two batters but then gave up a double to Justin Turner that ended his day. Luis Mey entered the game and walked Seiya Suzuki before giving up a soft liner into left field that resulted in an RBI single by Carson Kelly that pushed the home team’s lead to 4-0.
In the bottom of the 8th inning the Reds turned the game over to Yosver Zulueta, who was just called up earlier this week. After picking up a groundout to begin the inning he gave up a solo home run to Ian Happ as Chicago piled on. A 2-out single by Matt Shaw kept the inning going and then a wild pitch moved him to second. That was important because Nico Hoerner’s excuse-me check swing resulted in a blooper just over the head of a leaping Ke’Bryan Hayes to an RBI single that resulted in second run of the inning and pushed the lead to 6-0.
Cincinnati would get a leadoff single from TJ Friedl in the top of the 9th. Elly De La Cruz would line a 1-out single into left to start putting a little pressure on the Cubs pitching. A wild pitch moved both runners up a base and gave Austin Hays a chance with two runners in scoring position. He would ground out to third, but it brought Friedl in as the Reds avoided the shutout. That was all they’d get as a strikeout ended the game.
Key Moment of the Game
Dansby Swanson’s home run in the 7th inning. The Reds offense hadn’t done much all day, but a bloop and a blast didn’t seem other worldly. But scoring three runs?
Notes Worth Noting
Andrew Abbott turned in his 3rd worst start of the season, which tells you just how incredible his season has been that a 4-earned run outing over 6.2 innings was terrible by his standards is.
TJ Friedl was the only Reds hitter to reach base safely twice in the game.
The Reds offense walked zero times and had 12 strikeouts. The Cubs offense walked three times and only struck out four times.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates
Thursday August 7th, 6:40pm ET
Brady Singer (9-8, 4.36 ERA) vs Paul Skenes (6-8, 2.02 ERA)
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