Cubs vs. Reds Game Highlights (9/19/26) | MLB Highlights

One more time under the lights at Great American Ballpark as the Reds and Cubs play the middle game of this three game set, the final home series of the season for the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs inching towards their second consecutive playoff berth. They could clinch as soon as tomorrow so basically their magic number for clinching a spot is three, a win tonight or tomorrow and then the Diamondbacks lose tonight or tomorrow. They're in win tonight or tomorrow and the Diamondbacks lose both tonight and tomorrow. And the Cubs are in. And Nick's last time out is kind of a mixed bag. He did go seven innings through 104 pitches against the Dodgers. He only gave up three hits, a couple of home runs, four runs. But I thought it was better than figuring out a way to stay out there, give some length, as I mentioned, 104 pitches. Be really, really good tonight. It'd really be nice to see a really good, competitive, dominant Nick Lodolo. Swing and miss, a three-pitch K, and consecutive breakers get BCA. Don't wake him up. You're right about that. Let the sleeping dog lie. Inside almost hits Suzuki, ball four. Suzuki draws a two-out walk. The cleanup man, Tyrone Taylor, at the plate, two down, a man at first. That's turned on by Taylor, left field. Lede and Myers both calling it center field priority. Lodolo works around the two-out walk. We'll see if the Reds' offense can help him out. Matthew Boyd, the Cubs have lost each of his last six starts. He's had some good outings in that stretch. He just has not been able to pick up any wins. Last three starts, ten runs, however, 17 and two-thirds. He's been good on the road, 2.95 ERA in ten road starts. And he takes up and away from all four. He's on with a one-out walk, and now Sal Stewart. Line drive, Cruz scrambles back to first. They hit that hard. High fly ball hit to left. It's playable for Taylor. Short of the track now coming in. Makes the catch, out number three. De La Cruz stranded on the bases. We head to the second. Nikko to start it off against Nick Lodolo. Nikko swings, lines one to the power alley in left-center field. It drops in. Ball backhanded, caught up. Oh, and now it's dropped out in left center by Myers. Nikko cruises into second base standing up. It's going to be a double for Nikko as this ball is smoked in the gap. So, good start to this second inning for the Cubs and the Cubs offer. That one hit Bush and then, I think, redirected and got Tyler Stevenson in between the legs. Oh. He's got a sympathetic ear at the plate at Carson Kelly. Yeah, they're probably chatting about it. Bouncer. De La Cruz darts in. Flip to McClain. They'll get the middleman. Down to third is Horner. Now the Cubs have men at the corners with one away here in the second, and Matt Shaw doing it. Fly ball towards center field. Myers back near the wall. Makes the catch. Tagging from third is Nikko Horner. It's a sacrifice fly. It's Shaw and it's 1-0 Cubs. Cubs have something going here with one away in the top of the third. First a walk by Bregman. Now a single by Suzuki. This is the issue yesterday. The Cubs need a big swing in the bat with men on base. Ground to the third. Hayes. McClain. Double play. Around 0-5-4-3. That is an inning-ending double play. Matt McClain will lead things off for the Reds here in their half of the third. Swing and a miss. First strikeout for Matthew Boyd. Yeah, real nice changeup here. Two down for Dane Meyer. 3-2. Swing and a miss. And Boyd gets the punch out. Boyd with a pair of strikeouts looking sharp thus far. The Cubs have the lead. It's another three-up, three-down frame for Matthew Boyd. Boyd has shut down 11 consecutive Reds. Boyd holding the Reds to no hits. And a little fist pump for Matthew Boyd as that one clipped him on a leg somewhere. Bottom of the order for the Cubs beginning with Dansby Swanson. Short hop as it eats him up. And Swanson is a bore. That should be a base hit. I would think, you know, I think Dela Cruz could have tried to get in front of that one, but understandably just got low and tried to play it on the backhand side. But it's 103 miles an hour off the bat. First pitch, right side. McClain's got it. Move and spin. That pushes Swanson up to second base. But a nice play by McClain. Two outs on to third base goes Dansby Swanson. And now Saia Suzuki will hit. Drive base hit left field. Suzuki the RBI single, and it's 2-0. Knocks for Saia. This one drives home a run. There's a good swing of the bat. Little changeup down and away from Saia. And he just goes down and hooks this ball over the shortstop. Dela Cruz's head in the left field for a base hit. 2-0 Cubs. Big swing of the bat. And the 3-1 misses up and away. And that's ball four. And Eugenio Suarez will go down to first base with a leadoff walk. And the Reds have their leadoff man on for the first time tonight. Now with one out, the batter is J.J. Bladet. Bladet to right. Shaw after it. Has to play it on the back. Suarez goes through second. Well, this is what youthful legs look like. Gino made a decision that he was going to push the phone, put pressure on the defense, throw away, backs up. But Gino using the blazing speed. He put pressure on the defense. The defense makes mistakes. Gino showing the blazing speed. And Ellie saying, is this how you do it? Two down. Bladet at second base. Key Brian Hayes at the plate. Center field. That's a really good swing on a changeup. Changeup right on the outside part of the plate. This is a little higher than Boyd wanted it to be. But Key just squaring it up. Nicely done. The 0-2. Off right side. Diving. Horner gets up. And throws him out. What a play by Nikko. Steals a hit from Myers. And that'll end the Reds' half of the inning. Full extension. Nikko Horner. So, one down. Here's Michael Bush, who's reached base twice tonight. Michael Bush unloads right field. Back Bush, he'll touch them all. And the Cubs have retaken the lead on number 20 for Michael Bush. That might be worth two. Obliterated that baseball. Well, the old you hang it, we bang it. That was what that was. That was a hanging breaking ball to Michael. And, boy, he didn't miss it. It starts out at his front shoulder and ends up inner half. And, I mean, he clubs this one way up the bleachers in right field. 417 feet off the outside. Ball four. That draws a one-out walk here in the eighth. Nikko Horner at the plate. That went all the way to the backstop. And half down to second. Just fastball up. And Stevenson expecting this ball down. And it's not. It's way up. He could not reach it. Sails over him and John Lipka, the home plate umpire. So, now the Cubs with one out have a runner in scoring position. And he in half. That one up the middle. And again a base hit. Going to send it. It's an insurance run, and it's 4-2. So, it'll be a single, an RBI for Nikko. And he will take second on the throw. But a big swing of the bat for Horner. He's hit the ball on the button all four times today. Right-hander Ryan Zephyrjohn takes over. Two away here in the bottom of the eighth inning. But the Reds threatening. They've got men at first and second. And Sal Stewart, who likely will win National League Rookie of the Year, stepping to the plate. Way wide. Both men get grossly wild pitched by Zephyrjohn. The wild pitch advances. The tying runs into scoring position. Myers to third. And most notably, Ellie into second base. Second and third. Two outs. 3-2. Got him swinging. And the Reds get in third to end the eighth. We head to the bank. Dansby Swanson digs in. Base hit to short. Run scored. He's one for three. Dansby Swanson officially last number 19. Back at Great American Ballpark. 5-2. Reds trail the Cubs. They have three outs to work with. Tyler Stephenson will try to ignite a rally. That's got eyes through the left side. Base hit. Tyler Stephenson getting himself on base. That's why that Dansby Swanson home run was so important as a tackle on run for the Cubbies. Now a blast by Geno does not tie the game. That sweeper. Some good movement on it. You can see that ball definitely starts out over the plate. Here's the switch hitter Juan Brito batting for the left side. Fly ball out towards left field. Ryan Rollison takes over being asked to get the final out of this ball game. He's 9-1 in 56 games this season with a 2.98 ERA and two saves. Popped up. Kelly tosses the mass. He puts the squeeze on it. Ball gives way. Rollison finishes it off. And the Cubs take game 2-5-2. Very big win. Now they're one win away and one loss away from Arizona for clinching a playoff spot.