​The Cubs beat the Reds 5-3 on Saturday night, powered by Carson Kelly and a two-run blast from Alex Bregman, which helped the Cubs rally from a deficit in the sixth and seventh innings. But before diving into all that, I have to say I’d be more comfortable with Daniel Palencia back in the fold—or better yet, an upgrade for a shutdown closer—because it took Ryan Rolison and Trent Thornton 18 tense pitches in the ninth to close this one out. All’s well that ends well, of course, but I wouldn’t mind a calmer finish next time.
Now, back to the start of the game. Javier Assad and Nick Lodolo faced each other for three scoreless innings. In the third, Assad allowed two singles from TJ Friedl and Elly De La Cruz, putting runners on first and third with nobody out. After one out, Assad picked De La Cruz off first base—a sharp play by Assad and Michael Busch. The Cubs had previously pulled off a De La Cruz pickoff in Chicago in May with Busch not holding him on and then slipping behind him. JJ Bleday followed with an inning-ending fly ball; if he had hit that ball without the pickoff, the Reds would’ve likely plated a run and the ensuing sequence could have looked very different.
The Cubs didn’t score in the fourth, and Assad then yielded back-to-back homers to Nathaniel Lowe and Eugenio Suárez in the fifth. Suárez, as many Cubs fans know, has long enjoyed hitting homers off Cubs pitching; that blast was the 37th time he took a Cubs pitcher deep, the most for any active player.
The Cubs trimmed the deficit in the fifth, with two out and nobody on. Miguel Amaya singled, and Pete Crow-Armstrong walked—one of PCA’s two free passes on the night, adding up to 45 walks for the year across 95 games. Seiya Suzuki then lined a single to left, driving in Amaya to make it 2-1. The Cubs also kept the Reds at bay in the bottom of the fifth thanks in part to PCA’s slick sliding catch in center field.
The turning point came in the sixth, when Carson Kelly led off with his sixth home run of the season. That ball traveled a long way, setting the stage for what followed. After Kelly’s homer, Lodolo exited with a blister, and left-hander Caleb Ferguson came on. Busch singled off Ferguson, Nico Hoerner flew out, and Ian Happ doubled, scoring Busch to give Chicago a 3-2 lead. Drew Pomeranz then entered from the bullpen to finish things off, but the sequence of events—Kelly’s long ball, Lodolo’s injury, and Happ’s run-scoring double—was the catalyst for Chicago’s late lead.
In the seventh, the Cubs added an insurance run when Bregman’s transfer to the lineup helped secure the win. The game’s final tally stood at 5-3 in favor of Chicago, a victory built on timely hitting, strong defense, and bullpen resilience.
A few quick notes on some context: Carson Kelly’s homer marked a significant milestone moment for the Cubs, aligning with a broader milestone noted by analysts who track Live Ball Era statistics. The Cubs have continued to pile up home runs in this era, ranking high among National League teams and maintaining a pace that one analyst described as a standout, even if comparisons to prior years can be tough. In short, this game featured a mix of veteran experience and timely young talent sparking a comeback, even as the bullpen held on under pressure.