Elly De La Cruz’s speed and a wild pitch resulted in two decisive runs for the Reds in the fourth.
After De La Cruz walked, Cubs starter Justin Steele had him picked off first. But the Reds’ shortstop slid safely just ahead of Michael Busch’s throw to second.
Spencer Steer reached on a strikeout/wild pitch when a slider from Steele skipped under Miguel Amaya’s glove to put runners on first and third before Stephenson extended his hitting streak to a career-high eight games with a double to put the Reds ahead 2-0.
The official scorer initially ruled it a passed ball by Amaya, but later changed it to a wild pitch.
The Cubs had the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth, but Cody Bellinger popped to third on the first pitch from Lodolo (6-2). Bellinger came in batting .333 against left-handed pitchers, but went 0 for 4 against Lodolo and Justin Wilson.
“Nick has been pitching great,” Reds manager David Bell said. “It was a good start for him against a good lineup. He had a good curveball. He got out of a jam with bases loaded and Bellinger at the plate.”
Blake Dunn doubled for his first major league hit then scored on Stuart Fairchild’s single to make the score 3-0 in the fifth.
“Right out of the box, I was hustling hard,” Dunn said. “I knew I had a chance to get a double and as I turned the base, I picked up my head and saw he just got to the ball. We score a lot of runs that way, by being aggressive.”
Steele, who made his eighth start for the Cubs since coming off the injured list, retired the first 10 batters he faced before walking De La Cruz in the fourth.
Steele (0-3) pitched seven innings, allowing three runs and five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts.
Dansby Swanson’s solo homer made the score 3-1 in the sixth. It was the only run Lodolo allowed. He struck out seven and gave up four hits.
Busch walked and scored on Amaya’s double in the ninth, but Alexis Díaz struck out Patrick Wisdom to close out his 13th save.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cubs: 2B Nico Hoerner was scratched from the lineup due to continued soreness from being hit on the right hand by a pitch on Thursday night. X-rays were inconclusive and Hoerner will undergo further tests. ... LHP Jordan Wicks was reinstated from the injured list and moved to the bullpen.
Reds: LHP Brandon Williamson (left shoulder strain) was returned from a rehab assignment due to persistent shoulder soreness. He will be shut down for at least seven days then reevaluated.
UP NEXT
Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott (4-5, 3.39) will oppose Cubs right-hander Ben Brown (1-2, 3.33) on Saturday.
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