Cubs vs. Reds Game Highlights (5/24/25) | MLB Highlights

This is game two. The Reds have a chance to wash last night and reset a new course today. Yeah, the good news is the Cubs have not had back-to-back games where they've scored 13 runs, so that's the good news right there. The other good news is that the Reds are sending out a pitcher today, a left-hander, that will, I think, neutralize some of their left-handed power. I think what has made Andrew Abbott so successful has been his command of his pitches, but I really believe that he does a really nice job of reading how the hitters are reacting to what he's doing. I believe it's going to be a chess match today. I'm really looking forward to seeing how he is going to compete against what we saw yesterday, the strength of this ball club, and that's the ability to hit the ball all over the ballpark and hit with power. There's a tremendous amount of confidence, and you can see right there, that's just a four-seam heater right there, 93 miles an hour. Lined and beyond the reach of Matt McClain. Base hit for Tucker. Payoff pitch is on the way. Swing and a bouncing ball to Ellie. Should be two to McClain. One, around to first, close, out, double play. Six-four-three, that ends the Cubs first, and we go to the bottom of the first inning. Reds trying to snap a three-game slide. They take on Collin Ray. Collin Ray has some impressive numbers, Zach. Yeah, the Cubs have won six of Ray's seven starts since he joined the rotation, filling in for the injured Justin Steele. Swing and a missed strike three. One up, one down, one strikeout, Collin Ray. That's been all walks. He's a tough out. Here's another tough out on Ellie De La Cruz. Driven to right, and the Reds take a two-nothing lead. That is the impact Ellie De La Cruz can make. Well, it certainly can happen quickly. After that ballgame last night, it's nice to see the Reds come off the mat early, especially with a little thunder from their star player in Ellie De La Cruz. For Abbott, it was far more efficient than his counterpart. Fourteen pitches, face three in the first. Dansby Swanson, two-run homer yesterday, sends this to straightaway center. Friedel going back, going back, makes the play over the shoulder. One down. Pete Crow Armstrong was sure ready last night. He had a hustle double, homer twice, a grand slam. Glides this to McLean. There's a little flare in the right field. That'll get down for a base hit. Horner's on with a two-out line drive, single to right. To third, Espinal knows there's two outs. Goes to first and a winner. Top of the third here in Cincinnati, the Reds with a two-nothing lead over the Cubs. Turner on the year, hitting just above 200. He's knocked in ten runs, looking for his first homer in a Cubs uniform. Turner blasted to left. Gavin Lux at the track, the wall, and it is gone. First homerun of the year for Justin Turner. Hit homerun number 199 in his career. Solo blast into the seats, and left Cubs on the board in the third. It's a two-one game. A 406-foot blast for Turner. Reds two, Cubs one. Bottom three here in Cincinnati, where it's cloudy and 70 degrees. Pail pitch. Grounded towards third. Nice play by Shaw. Falls to first. What a play by Matt Shaw! Oh, baby! Picks it at third. Little balance. Perfect throw. What a way. I've never seen anything quite like that. I thought he was going to maybe just hold on to the ball, but he went ahead and made the throw despite falling backwards at the same time and threw a strike, pretty much, and got his man by a full step. Incredible play by Matt Shaw. Number 32. Swing and a miss. Strike three. Ray gets Dela Cruz with a splitter. Two away. Colin Ray, 0-2 pitch. Check swing. Went around. Strike three. A one-two-three. Bottom of the third for Colin Ray and the Cubs. Cubs have their leadoff man aboard here in the fourth, and now a very dangerous Pete Crow Armstrong. Pete Crow Armstrong is lined to second. Sends this ball to deep right center. Friedel at the wall. He's got it! Slams it to the wall! The man who robs him has it robbed by Friedel. What a play by T.J. Friedel on a ball that was looking like it was going to get out of here, but he made the catch right up against the wall before crashing into the pads. Wow. Incredible play by Friedel. We're in the last of the fourth here in Cincinnati. Reds with a 2-1 lead over the Cubs. The middle game of a three-game set. Drag fair inside of third. Extra bases. Half races after it. Lux held it free. Into second on a slide. Opposite way for a double. That's a step in the right direction as far as adding on is concerned. Here's Spencer Steer. That ricochets alertly. Lux takes off. He's got third without a throw on the slide. Payoff. There's a curveball down for ball four. Now it's on to Will Benson with him at the corners, and nobody out. Benson hit the ball hard his first time up. First pitch, high fly, right center. Crow Armstrong at the wall. Leaps up and makes the catch. Runner's tag. Throw-off line to second. Set fly RBI. Lux scores. Steer to second. Reds up 3-1. Will Benson just missed hitting this ball at the ballpark. He got under it, and it was a high, towering fly ball, and Pete Crow Armstrong leaping right at the 370 sign and was just able to make the catch right at the top of the yellow line. It'll go as a very long sack fly. Reds add on one more. It's now 3-1 Reds. Reds lead 3-1. Ray just trying to keep the Cubs close. So now the Reds man a second and third. Nobody out. Infield in. De La Cruz waiting. That is struck and throw. Base hit. Friedel scores. Wave on press. But Armstrong fired a second. De La Cruz hit his 5-1. Boy, what a nice piece of hitting by De La Cruz there. Not an over-swing. Just stayed right on the ball, stayed in the big part of the ballpark, right back up the box. Spencer Steer has struck out. He has walked. De La Cruz in scoring position on the steal. Grounded sharply. And throw of love of Swanson. De La Cruz comes home. Steer up the gut. It's 6-1 Cincinnati. Ellie De La Cruz coming up big with the base hit. And Spencer Steer, huge. Another tack-on run. Most runs yielded by Ray all season. Harry Francona is out of the Reds' dugout. He's going to make the pitching change. Runners at first and third. Two men are out. Abbott-Tammy, the Cubs, to one run. The book open. Andrew Abbott, a sub-two ERA, leaves with the Reds ahead 6-1. Two on, two out. Big spot here for Ashcraft. He needs to get one out and get this game in the bottom of the sixth inning. With the Reds up right now, 6-1. Swing and a fly ball to right. Right at Benson. He's under it. He's there. He's got it. Inning over. So the Reds work out a single and a walk to start the inning of the Cubs' strand two. Reds leading this ballgame 6-1. Second and third here. Tucker on deck. Grounded. Steer can see the score feed Ashcraft. Kelly comes home. Shaw to third. It's 6-2, but two down. He's stuck it out. Goodness. Nice job, Graham Ashcraft. The fastball away, and he just sent down one of the better hitters in the game, Kyle Tucker. So here comes Pete Crow Armstrong. 0-for-3 today. Facing Santillan once again. 3-2. Sky to right. Benson lines it up. Makes the catch. Runner tags up from third. The throw home. It's late. It's a sack fly for PCA. The Cubs cut into their deficit in the eighth. Still a 6-3 game, though. It'll be the bottom third of the Cubs' order. Carson Kelly followed by Justin Turner, Matt Shaw. Reds are leading it 6-3 in the ninth. Carson Kelly crushes it left field. If it's fair, it's gone, and it's off the foul pole and gone. Solo shot in the ninth. Ninth of the year. Cubs still in this one. They're down 6-4. Now Michael Bush off the bench. Got him, Loker. No, and not. They know as he rings him up. That's the location right there. That's the heater. Matt Shaw has singled and doubled. First pitch. That's a fair ball. That's trouble. Shoots at the second. Joe Behr hands on the track. That's a second straight double for Shaw. Tied run comes to the plate. Half-lifetime has crushed the Reds and is even more impressive in this building. Pagan punches him out. Now, I'll say this right now. As Kyle Tucker comes to the plate, I'm going to pitch him like it's the seventh game of the World Series. This fellow right here is the ultimate danger in this lineup. Lifted high into the air but shallow right. McLean out. Benson in. Benson calling. He's got it. That's it. Reds win it. 6-4 over the Cubs here at Great American Ballpark as they hang on to even the series at a game apiece.