Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/30/24): Reds 6, Cubs 3 – Cincinnati Jumps on Steele Early, Hangs on to Win

The Cubs fell behind again early in Cincinnati on Tuesday night with Justin Steele giving up five early runs. Unlike Monday, however, Chicago staged a bit of a comeback to put the outcome of the game briefly in doubt. As it turned out, the rally was not enough and the Reds prevailed 6-3 and take the series.

TJ Friedl got Cincinnati on the board with a two-run single off Steele with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 1st. Santiago Espinal, hitting at the bottom of the lineup, doubled the lead when he hit an opposite-field two-run homer in the 2nd.

Tyler Stephenson added an RBI single later in the frame and the Reds were ahead 5-0. The Cubs starter settled in after that and pitched five innings, keeping the score where it was.

Cody Bellinger made his return to the lineup from a broken finger in style, lifting a fly ball just over the right field wall for a two-run homer off of reliever Lyon Richardson in the top of the 6th. The North Siders loaded the bases down 5-2 in the 7th but were only able to score a single tally on a Fernando Cruz wild pitch.

Cody Bellinger homers in his first game back! pic.twitter.com/oqalmyL2Je

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 31, 2024

Cincinnati added a run when Spencer Steer doubled against Ethan Roberts in the 8th inning. The Cubs did not threaten much in the final two frames and lost by that same score. (Box score)

Key Moment

New addition Isaac Paredes was up representing the go-ahead run with the bases loaded and two outs in the 7th inning. After the wild pitch, he hit a soft line drive to shortstop and the Cubs never threatened again.

Why the Cubs Lost

The starting pitcher had a rough outing for the second consecutive game and the offense just isn’t good enough to dig out of those early holes.

Stats That Matter

• Steele has always struggled against the Reds and Tuesday was no different: 5 IP, 5 R, 6 H, 7 K, and 4 BB.
• Bellinger had a single in addition to his home run and looked good at the plate.
• Paredes lived up to his scouting report with four balls hit in the air; unfortunately all four went for outs.

Bottom Line

The Cubs pretty much stood pat at the trade deadline with just the Parades deal and shipping Mark Leiter Jr. to the Yankees. It would be nice if some of the players on the current roster had strong finishes as Chicago plays at the string on this season. If they don’t, it’s gonna be very hard to have any confidence in this team going into 2025 because, frankly, they just aren’t very good right now and there isn’t any sugarcoating it.

On Deck

The Cubs hope to avoid a sweep Wednesday night at 6:10pm CT. Kyle Hendricks and Nick Lodolo are the starting pitchers in a matchup available on Marquee and 670 The Score.