Cubs blast Reds to earn series split

David Kohl - USA Today Sports

by Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Sun Sep 03 20:14:32 GMT-05:00 2023

CINCINNATI - To say that the Great American Ballpark has been a house of horrors for the Chicago Cubs (73-64) would be an understatement. Despite only having two series at that ballpark this season, the Cubs struggled to score runs at times and were even walked off several times, including twice on back-to-back nights this series.

You have to give the Cincinnati Reds (71-68) some credit for that, as they continue to show the heart they have all season long. Looking back on this series, the Cubs missed a golden opportunity as they came two outs away from a sweep, with the Reds walking them off twice in the ninth after the Cubs took the lead. Fortunately, the Cubs recovered on Sunday as their offense came to life especially late when they scored seven times in the eighth inning to break a 5-5 tie before winning 15-7.

Say what you want about Jameson Taillon and his year-long struggles, as his first season in Chicago has been rough. However, he has done well by giving the Cubs some length in his starts, which is a positive going forward. Once again, Taillon had trouble getting people out as he surrendered five runs in 5 2/3 but picked up a no-decision. He was lucky to get that as Carson Spiers was outstanding in the early going, striking out seven Cubs in just over four innings while allowing three runs.

As has been the case so many times this season, especially in their last series at Wrigley, the Cubs managed to expose the Reds pen as they scored 12 times off of Reds relievers, including 11 times in the final three innings. The Cubs didn't waste any time as Mike Tauchman opened things up with a leadoff single. That was followed by a one-out single from Ian Happ and Cody Bellinger as another RBI hit from Bellinger put the Cubs in front 1-0.

Their lead didn't last long as the Reds played long ball off of Taillon in the bottom of the first to grab the lead. First was TJ Friedl going deep to tie things up 1-1, with Spencer Steer following up to give the Reds a 2-1 lead as the two went back to back off of Taillon. Offense continued to be the theme in the second, with Nick Madrigal picking up a one-out double ahead of the Miguel Amaya walk as the Cubs had two runners on with one out.

That was followed by another single from Tauchman to tie things back up 2-2, with Happ coming through with a sacrifice fly to make things 3-2. The Cubs ended up running themselves out of a potential bigger inning as there was a double play turned on that sacrifice fly. Immediately after grabbing the lead, Taillon gave it back as the back-and-forth tilt continued into the bottom of the second.

This time, a leadoff hit by pitch set the Reds up with Tyler Stephenson going deep for the Reds third homer in two innings to give them a 4-3 lead. Taillon would settle in nicely after that and, at one point, retired nine of 10 batters over a three-inning stretch to keep the Cubs in the ballgame. He would then work around a pair of singles in the bottom of the fifth as he followed a trend of bad starts followed by solid finishes.

Still trailing by one in the sixth, it was time for the Cubs offense to get rolling as the dreaded Reds pen was in full swing. First was Chasen Shreve, and with one swing of the bat, Bellinger tied things up 4-4. Lucas Sims replaced Shreve, and despite allowing a two-out double to Seiya, Suzuki was able to keep the Cubs off the board. The same can't be said about Taillon, who allowed a one-out double to Christian Enarnacion-Strand before being removed with two outs in the sixth in favor of Daniel Palencia.

Palencia allowed an RBI single to Stephenson to start his outing as the Reds retook the lead 5-4, but that was it for them in that inning as Palencia looked good all weekend. Like they had been most of the game, the Cubs had to play from behind, and with Nico Hoerner picking up a two-out double, the offense was in business only to see Happ come through with the game-tying single.

With Derek Law set to pitch the eighth, the Cubs wasted no time getting things started as their offense was about to erupt in a big way. Singles from Dansby Swanson and Suzuki led things off, with Jeimer Candelario getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. That was the end of the day for Law, who was replaced by the Reds closer Alexis Diaz, who promptly allowed the go-ahead single to Madrigal to put the Cubs in front 7-5.

With Miles Mastrobuoni hitting for Amaya and reaching base on an error, things went from bad to worse for the Reds as Tauchman came through with another clutch hit to extend the lead to 9-5. That was the game-winning hit for the Cubs, as Tauchman needed a game like this under his belt. Happ worked a walk following that single, with Bellinger closing out his massive series with a sacrifice fly to push the Cubs lead to 10-5.

The Chicago offense was still not done as the two-run double from Swanson closed out a seven-run inning for the Cubs as they suddenly opened up a 12-5 lead. With a comfortable lead, Keegan Thompson entered to pitch the eighth and immediately found himself in a tough spot.

Although he has looked better in his recent outings, Thompson is still struggling with his command as a pair of walks and a Will Benson double loaded the bases for the Reds. On the verge of pitching out of trouble, Noelvi Marte came through again as he capped off a massive weekend with an RBI double to pull the Reds within 12-7. That was as close as they would get, as the Cub's offense had more to offer against the Reds in the ninth.

Already with one homer this weekend, it was Candealario going deep to lead off the ninth, as he has now homered in back-to-back games. One out double and single from Tauchman and Hoerner set things up for the Reds killer, and Happ wouldn't disappoint as he came through with an RBI double to extend the Cubs lead to 15-7. Shane Greene would finish things off from there, working around a leadoff single from Nick Martini in the top of the ninth to secure a series split.

With the win, the Cubs head home with a three-game lead over the final wild card spot and are entering a crucial seven-game homestand with the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants. Both teams trail the Cubs by three games right now and will be looking to gain some ground. Tauchman set the tone on offense by picking up a season-high four hits with three RBIs.

Happ added three hits with four RBIs and is creeping close to that .250 mark. Bellinger, Swanson, Suzuki, and Madrigal all had multi-hit games in the win, as every one of the starters had one hit.