Chicago CubsvsCincinnati Reds
CHC 8/CIN 4
Things to say
The Cubs beat the Reds 8-4 on the road at Great American Ball Park.
01
opener
Cubs took it 8-4 in Cincy. Never really felt close after the middle innings. Chicago's just the better team right now and it showed.
02
key player
The heart of the Cubs order did all the damage. They kept turning the lineup over and the Reds had no answer for it.
03
hot take
Reds are 43-52 for a reason. Great American is a bandbox and their pitching keeps getting left in the yard.
04
deep cut
Getaway day, day game after a night game, and Cincy's bullpen looked gassed. You could see the manager went to the pen too early.
05
exit
Cubs are rolling at 54-42. Curious to see if they can keep it up when the real contenders show up on the schedule.
The recap
Cubs went into Great American and put up eight on a getaway day, and that ballpark plays small, so once they got the bats going it was over. Chicago's bat rack did the damage against a Reds staff that couldn't keep the ball in the yard, and the manager going to the pen didn't slow anything down.
Cincinnati's four runs were never going to be enough with the way Chicago kept the line moving through the heart of the order. At 54-42 the Cubs are cruising, while the Reds fall back under .500 at 43-52.