Pete Crow-Armstrong gave Wrigley Field exactly what it came for on Sunday: a blast in the first inning and another in the ninth. The Cubs center fielder was loud again, but the Cincinnati Reds were louder when it mattered, hammering out four home runs of their own and leaving Chicago with a 7-5 win that clinched the series.
All seven Reds runs came on the long ball. Hector Rodriguez, Dane Myers, Tyler Stephenson and Sal Stewart each went deep, turning a game that started with Crow-Armstrong’s quick strike into another showcase of Cincinnati’s season-long home run identity. The Reds have scored 576 runs this year, and 293 of them have come via home runs.
Crow-Armstrong opened the scoring by jumping on Chase Burns for a 417-foot leadoff homer to right in the first, his ninth first-inning leadoff homer of the season. He finished the day with five homers over the final two games of the series and 38 on the year. He added another 431-foot shot to the same bleachers in the ninth, this one off Emilio Pagan, but by then the Reds had already done enough damage to rebound from Saturday’s 17-5 loss.
Chicago grabbed a 2-0 lead after Crow-Armstrong’s first homer, then Cincinnati went to work against Shota Imanaga, who came in having allowed 30 home runs and left with that number at 33. In the third, Eugenio Suarez walked and Matt McLain singled before Rodriguez unloaded a three-run homer into the seats for a 3-2 Reds lead.
The Cubs briefly pulled even in the fourth on a throwing error by Rodriguez, but Myers answered immediately by leading off the fifth with a 384-foot homer to left. The inning kept rolling from there. Elly De La Cruz singled, Stephenson launched a homer into the left-field bleachers, and suddenly Cincinnati was up 6-3.
Burns wasn’t at his sharpest, but he still kept the Cubs from fully cashing in. He worked 5⅔ innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking one and striking out seven.
Manager Tito Francona lifted him after his 100th pitch, and the bullpen finished off the job. Burns moved to 15-3, and the Reds are now 19-7 in his starts.
Stewart added the final Reds homer in the seventh with two outs, a shot that pushed him to 31 homers and 105 RBI. If Crow-Armstrong is the MVP type of force Chicago is leaning on, Stewart is making a strong case for Rookie of the Year. He also beat out a checked-swing infield hit in the ninth.
Before the game, Stewart was already in a playful mood. He had been chatting in the Reds clubhouse with former Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and told him he planned to homer so he could break out a soccer-style celebration.
“We do have a lot of guys who love soccer celebrations so I said, ‘I’ll just do the Brunson,’” he said. He was referring to Kalen Brunson, a midfielder for the Queens Park Rangers and NBA star Jalen Brunson, who also loves soccer.
After Stewart delivered, he ran it through exactly as promised, putting his hand across his face and scowling. “I just changed it up for the boys, having a good time.”
He also explained what’s driving the power. “Just my preparation.
I trust in what I do and trust in my preparation. I trust the people around me who guide me.
So I just have to go out there and execute.
On the subject of leading MLB in RBI, Stewart kept the focus on the group. “I never try to chase numbers. I just try to go out there and enjoy the game with my guys.
“It hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to, we could have played better, so I just try to go out there and enjoy the moment. It would be great, obviously, I work hard for it, but I just want to enjoy the game with my guys.”
Former Reds first baseman Joey Votto, working the NBC broadcast, praised Stewart and said, “I love that he deflects everything to the team.”
Stewart said their pregame conversation meant a lot. “Ah, man.
He’s such a great player. I watched him while I was growing up.
He is the epitome of a complete hitter, so it was really cool to sit next to him.”
There was one worry for Cincinnati beyond the win itself. De La Cruz tweaked his left quadriceps while beating out an infield hit one step from the bag in the fifth inning and exited in the seventh. Francona said it is not considered serious and that De La Cruz may play or be the designated hitter Monday night in Great American Ball Park against the San Diego Padres.
“We’ll be getting in late tonight, but we will have Elly looked at,” said Francona.
Francona also brushed off the idea that Burns has run out of gas, even with the right-hander now at 145 innings after never pitching more than 105 in a season before.
“Everybody’s talked about that,” said Francona. “I understand why.
But he’s held his stuff all year. And that’s a great credit to that kid.
“It’s not a knock on him, he just has never been through it before,” he added. “He took it to heart with his arm-care program. If not, he would have run out of gas, but he hasn’t.”
In Other News...
Eugenio Suarez Will Miss Reds Games For A Moment Bigger Than Baseball
Eugenio Surez will be away from the Reds for a couple of days this week, but for a reason that reaches well beyond the box score. The veteran infielder is set to miss Cincinnatis games against the Padres on Tuesday and Wednesday while he takes his naturalization test as he continues his pursuit of U.S. citizenship, a milestone that carries extra meaning for a player who has spent multiple seasons building a strong bond with the city.
Surezs absence comes as Cincinnati keeps leaning on its power bats and the emergence of rookie Sal Stewart, who has already put together a noteworthy season at the plate. Even so, this is the kind of moment that reminds everyone around the club that baseball is only part of the story, and for Surez, the next step is one he has been working toward for a long time. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Just Added Two Question Marks At The Worst Time
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Britos arrival adds another layer, though his role looks likely to be modest after coming over from the Guardians at the trade deadline. The infielder is expected to see limited playing time, which leaves the Reds with two newcomers who are still trying to find their footing while the club keeps sorting out its depth and health issues. [Read more 🡒]
Eugenio Surezs Absence Forced A Reds Infield Change
Eugenio Surez is away from the Reds for the final two games of the series against the Padres, leaving Cincinnati to juggle its infield a little differently while he steps away to take his U.S. citizenship naturalization test. It is the kind of brief but unavoidable absence that forces a roster to absorb the change quickly, and the club answered by bringing up infielder Juan Brito from Triple-A Louisville to add depth.
Terry Francona and Brito both addressed the move, underscoring that the Reds are treating it as a practical roster adjustment rather than anything more disruptive. Still, whenever a regular is pulled out of the lineup for even a short stretch, it creates a small test of flexibility, and Cincinnati will spend the next couple of games sorting out how best to cover the infield until Surez returns. [Read more 🡒]