Reds 10, Cubs 8: Stephenson's Three-Run Shot Caps a Five-Run Sixth

Down 3-0. Then Wrigley turned into a homer derby.

August 28, 2026 – Chicago – Michael Busch had already gone deep. Seiya Suzuki had already scored twice. Wrigley Field had a 3-0 game after three innings, and the wild card-leading Chicago Cubs looked like the club that had owned this matchup all year.

The Cincinnati Reds scored nine unanswered. Jose Trevino tied it. Sal Stewart kept the inning alive. Tyler Stephenson hit a three-run homer. Cincinnati won 10-8.

Chicago got back within one in the eighth. It was not enough.

Four Reds homers, and a sixth that would not end

Alex Bregman doubled Suzuki home in the first. Busch's two-run shot in the third, his 17th, made it 3-0. Rhett Lowder had given Chicago the lead it wanted. David Peterson had five innings and two runs. The Reds still had to climb.

Héctor Rodríguez singled JJ Bleday home in the fourth. Stewart's 29th homer in the fifth cut it to 3-2. Then the sixth ate Trent Thornton.

Trevino's solo shot to center tied it. Stewart singled Elly De La Cruz to third and scored Rodríguez. Stephenson went 399 feet to center with De La Cruz and Stewart aboard. 7-3. Thornton lasted two-thirds of an inning, five earned runs, and the loss.

De La Cruz singled home two more in the seventh. 9-3. Five Cincinnati players had multi-hit games. De La Cruz went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Stewart finished 2-for-4 with a homer, a walk, two RBI, and two runs. The Reds had entered Friday 1-6 against Chicago, including a May sweep at Wrigley. This was the answer.

Chicago's eighth, then Friedl's ninth

The Cubs did not go quietly. Suzuki singled Carson Kelly home in the seventh. In the eighth, Pedro Ramirez hit a three-run homer, his fourth, scoring Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner. Suzuki doubled Matt Shaw home. 9-8.

TJ Friedl pinch-hit in the ninth and homered to right, his fourth. 10-8. Emilio Pagán threw a scoreless ninth, one strikeout, seven pitches. Lowder got the win: five innings, three earned, five strikeouts, zero walks. Suzuki went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI and still left with an L.

A 3-0 lead after three is supposed to travel at Wrigley. This one died in the sixth and never quite came back.

AthX Engine scored the nine unanswered, not the early 3-0

AthX Engine put Cincinnati at 15 team fantasy points. Stewart's 9 hitting FP sat among Friday's top bats. Chicago finished at 5 team FP in an eight-run loss, which is what a blown 3-0 lead and a bullpen mess looks like on a production board.

Fantasy points measure the night. They are not share price.

What's next

Andrew Abbott is lined up against Kevin Gausman on Saturday. Cincinnati stole a series opener it had no business winning after three innings. Chicago has to explain a 3-0 lead that became a 10-8 loss.

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*Sources: MLB Gameday, ESPN recap, MLB schedule, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*