The Chicago Cubs handed the Cincinnati Reds a 5-3 defeat at Great American Ball Park on Saturday, July 11, completing a comeback after trailing by two runs and dealing a divisional gut-punch to Cincinnati's home crowd. Julian Garcia absorbed the loss after giving up two earned runs in a single inning of work, while Alex Bregman's two-RBI home run proved to be the decisive blow. The Reds put up a fight — three players went deep — but the bullpen couldn't hold it together when it mattered most in a game the Cubs ultimately won, 5-3, in nine innings.

Reds Offense Flashes Power But Falls Short Against Cubs Pitching

Give Cincinnati's lineup some credit: the Reds hit the ball with authority on Saturday. JJ Bleday, Nathaniel Lowe, and Eugenio Suárez each went deep, accounting for all three Cincinnati runs. Bleday went 1-for-4 with a solo shot and one RBI, continuing to make a case for himself in the Reds' lineup since his recall. Lowe went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI, while Suárez contributed 2-for-3 with a long ball and an RBI of his own — the kind of production Cincinnati needed more of around it.

Elly De La Cruz and TJ Friedl each collected two hits, giving the Reds seven of their most active hitters contributing positively. The problem wasn't generating contact. Javier Assad worked five innings for Chicago, allowing seven hits and two earned runs, but Cincinnati couldn't convert its opportunities into enough runs before the game slipped away.

Nick Lodolo and the Bullpen Couldn't Preserve the Lead

Nick Lodolo gave Cincinnati five innings, striking out four but walking three and allowing five hits and two earned runs. It was a workmanlike outing — not a disaster, but not enough to put the game away. The Reds carried a lead into the middle innings, but the bullpen unraveled at the critical moments.

Caleb Ferguson allowed one earned run in two-thirds of an inning, but the real turning point came when Julian Garcia entered and surrendered two earned runs on one hit and a walk across his lone inning. It's worth noting that Tony Santillan, who landed on the 15-day IL with a strained left oblique earlier this month, was unavailable — his absence thinned a bullpen that was already being stretched thin, and it showed. Those two runs, credited with the loss to Garcia, put Chicago ahead for good. Brock Burke and Pierce Johnson each worked out of further trouble, and Tejay Antone closed with a clean ninth-inning frame — but by then the damage was done.

Cubs Comeback Was the Turning Point

The game's metadata tells the story plainly: Chicago came back from a two-run deficit to win. Bregman's home run, a 1-for-4 night that produced two RBIs, was the centerpiece of that reversal. Carson Kelly added a solo shot and went 2-for-4 for the Cubs, while Michael Busch went 3-for-4 to keep pressure on the Reds throughout the night. Drew Pomeranz earned the win after a single inning of work in which he allowed one earned run, and Trent Thornton picked up the save with a clean final frame to close it out.

What's Next for the Reds

Cincinnati will look to bounce back quickly in this divisional series. With the Cubs, Cardinals, Brewers, and Pirates all in the mix, dropping a home game to a divisional rival stings — every game in this race carries weight. The Reds will want to see their bullpen stabilize; a night that featured six pitchers and still resulted in a blown lead is not a formula for winning series. Tony Santillan's IL stint with a strained oblique only compounds that concern heading into the rest of the homestand.

  • JJ Bleday's home run continues a strong stretch since his April 26 recall
  • Nick Lodolo went five innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits and three walks
  • Julian Garcia (L) allowed two earned runs in one inning, proving the decisive frame
  • Bregman, Kelly, and Busch combined for six hits and three RBIs for Chicago
  • Reds hit three home runs on the night but were outscored 5-3