​CINCINNATI (AP) — Alex Bregman delivered a season-best four RBIs, including a three-run homer during a pivotal four-run seventh inning, as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 on Sunday. The Cubs claimed two of the three games in the series and moved into the All-Star break with a 54-42 record, positioning themselves for an National League wild-card spot and leaving Milwaukee five games ahead at the top of the NL Central. The Reds slipped to 43-52, marking their fourth straight series loss and keeping them at the bottom of the division standings.
Bregman, who came a triple shy of the cycle the previous day, contributed early and often. He chipped in a go-ahead RBI double in the first inning, added a single in the fifth, and belted his ninth home run of the season—this one off Pierce Johnson—into the stands. The three-run shot capped a decisive seventh inning for Chicago. Bregman is currently batting .241 with 41 RBIs after recently signing a five-year, $175 million contract.
Matthew Boyd earned the win, improving to 5-1 in eight starts since his season-ending opening loss, by allowing four runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings. Jacob Webb closed it out for his fifth save, recording two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
The game swung in the Cubs’ favor in the seventh. With the score tied at 4-4, Dansby Swanson lined a double off Chase Petty (1-2) to start the frame, then scored when Pete Crow-Armstrong barely nicked a single to center off Sam Moll for his first hit of the series.
Earlier in the game, Michael Busch put Chicago ahead with an RBI double in the first inning to make it 2-0. Cincinnati had briefly surged ahead in the third, taking a 4-2 lead on a sequence that included Spencer Steer’s RBI groundout, JJ Bleday’s RBI single, and Eugenio Suárez’s 200th career homer—a two-run shot that highlighted a three-run inning for the Reds. Cincinnati’s starter, Andrew Abbott, was charged with four runs on four hits and three walks across four innings.
Looking ahead, the Cubs will host Minnesota beginning Friday to resume the season, while the Reds will start the second half on Friday at Colorado. For the league, further highlights and updates can be found at the AP MLB hub.