Throughout this season I have praised Cubs manager Craig Counsell for handling a bullpen devastated by injuries extremely well. He’s rested guys at the right time and used pitchers successfully who ordinarily would not have had any chance of being in the major leagues but were there of necessity due to injury.
In Friday’s 10-8 loss to the Reds, though, I did not understand why Counsell didn’t turn to Aaron Civale in the sixth inning with the Cubs actually ahead 3-2. Civale has been really good out of the pen for the Cubs, hadn’t pitched since Sunday, and with David Peterson having thrown five innings in which he struggled somewhat, it would have been useful to get some length out of the pen, maybe two innings from Civale.
Instead, Counsell called on Trent Thornton. In fairness, Thornton has also been pretty good this year, but on this day he was not, allowing five runs including a pair of home runs. Civale then came in and gave the Cubs that length, and yes, they nearly did come back. Civale did get charged with two runs — because of an error by Alex Bregman, not his fault.
Perhaps you disagree. That’s a subject for discussion here.
Okay, now here’s your game recap.
Peterson had a rough first inning, allowing a pair of baserunners but eventually striking out the side. Then the Cubs put a run on the board in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Seiya Suzuki doubled, and one out later, Bregman doubled him in [VIDEO].
Peterson struggled again in the second and third, allowing more baserunners but running up a high pitch count. The Cubs extended the lead to 3-0 in the third. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a single and then the Reds pulled the play Nico Hoerner has made a couple of times — deliberately dropping a popup by Suzuki to get the faster runner, PCA, forced at second.
Michael Busch made sure that didn’t matter with a three-run homer [VIDEO].
This, perhaps, is a good sign for Busch, whose power numbers have been down this year. That’s three homers in his last nine games, and perhaps he can finish the year strong in that department. This was his 17th — only half as many as he hit in 2025.
The Reds scored one off Peterson in the fourth and Sal Stewart homered off him in the fifth to make it 3-2. So Peterson was done after five innings and 88 pitches, which I think was the right call by Counsell. As I noted above, in my view starting the sixth with Thornton was the wrong call, and it wound up with the Cubs trailing 7-3 after the end of that inning, the key blow a three-run homer by Tyler Stephenson. Civale had to come in to get the last out, then he would have been out of the seventh scoreless if not for the error by Bregman. That play didn’t score a run — but set up a two-run single by Elly De La Cruz that made it 9-3.
There was one other homer in the sixth, by Jose Trevino, that tied the game before Stephenson’s. About that, from BCB’s JohnW53:
Jose Trevino’s game-tying solo home run in the sixth inning was the 200th surrendered by Cubs pitchers this season. Going into today, only the Athletics had served up more, 204. The Cubs’ previous high through 135 games was 192, in 2021. They gave up 191 in 2000, 185 in 1999 and 181 in 2022. Last year, they allowed 169, their eighth most.
Credit to the Cubs, they did mount a comeback. With two out in the seventh, Carson Kelly walked, went to second on a wild pitch and took third on a single by PCA. This single by Suzuki made it 9-4 [VIDEO].
The Cubs still had the bases loaded after that, but Bregman struck out to end the inning.
Then the Cubs got even closer in the eighth. Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner led off with singles and Pedro Ramirez smacked a three-run homer to make it 9-7 [VIDEO].
That was Ramirez’s fourth home run, but first at Wrigley Field.
Okay! Now it’s a ballgame, the Cubs down just two runs. The Reds brought in lefty Sam Moll to pitch to Michael Conforto, and Counsell countered with Matt Shaw, just activated from the IL today. Shaw doubled, went to third one out later on a ground out, and scored on this double by Suzuki [VIDEO].
Now the tying run is in scoring position, but with two out, and Busch grounded to third to end the inning.
Daniel Palencia made his first appearance at Wrigley since being activated from the IL last weekend and struck out the first two Reds he faced, hitting 100 on the Wrigley pitch speed meter… but unfortunately, TJ Friedl homered off him to give the Reds a two-run cushion and that was that, as Reds closer Emilio Pagan set the Cubs down in order in the ninth.
Credit to the Cubs for mounting the comeback. But I can’t help thinking that the decision to bring Thornton in instead of Civale might have cost the Cubs this game. A couple more game notes from John:
Today’s game was Hoerner’s 12th of the season with at least three hits. Bregman and PCA have 10; Suzuki, eight, including today; Busch, seven; and six others from five to two, for a team total of 67. The Cubs began the day tied with the Brewers for second most. The Dodgers had 78.
….
Pedro Ramirez’s three-run homer was the Cubs’ 28th of the season with two men on base. That ties them with the 2008 club for their second most in a season. They hit 29 in 2017.
At this point, I suspect the Cubs can forget about the NL Central title, now 7.5 games behind pending the result of the Brewers/Rangers game this evening. More important are the Phillies in the rear-view mirror, now 1.5 games behind and facing the Angels in Anaheim tonight. Fortunately, the Cubs have the tiebreaker over the Phillies — if those two meet in a Wild Card series, I do not want those games in Philadelphia.
The Cubs will try to even up the series Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Kevin Gausman will start for the Cubs and Andrew Abbott goes for Cincinnati. Game time is again 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
