Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (5/7/26): Cubs 8, Reds 3 – Sweep Completes Perfect Homestand
The Cubs did not mess around with late game heroics against the Reds on Thursday afternoon, thrilling the Wrigley faithful with a seven-run 4th inning as they rolled to victory and a four-game sweep. Outfielder Michael Conforto gave Chicago an early advantage when he hit a solo home run off Cincinnati starter Rhett Lowder in the bottom of the 2nd. Shōta Imanaga had his splitter working and was racking up tons of strikeouts early in his outing.
The North Siders’ big offensive outburst in the 4th inning began with a pair of walks, after which Lowder was forced to leave the game with a shoulder injury. Conforto then had a base on balls against reliever Connor Phillips with the bases loaded for an RBI, and Dansby Swanson then hit into a force out to third to bring home another.
The Cubs kept up the pressure with an RBI single from Pete Crow-Armstrong, and a two-run knock by Miguel Amaya increased the margin to 6-0. Nico Hoerner then doubled in Amaya, and Moises Ballesteros capped things off with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-0.
Imanaga went six frames, allowing only a solo home run to Sal Stewart. The Reds scored a couple on reliever Gavin Hollowell, so Daniel Palencia had to come in and get the final out of the game with the bases loaded for a save of Chicago’s 8-3 win. (Box score)
Key Moment
Swanson grounded to Ke’Bryan Hayes at third with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the 4th. Hayes stepped on the base for an out and fired to the plate in plenty of time to get Ian Happ coming home. Cincinnati catcher Tyler Stevenson forgot that he had to tag the runner to record the out after the force at third and stood on top of the plate as Happ scored. The wheels completely fell off for the road team after that.
Why the Cubs Won
One big inning and a quality start made it a relatively easy victory.
Stats That Matter
- Another excellent performance by Imanaga: 6 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 10 K, and 3 BB.
- Conforto reached four times with a double, a single, and a walk in addition to the homer.
Bottom Line
That was a perfect 7-0 homestand for the Cubs to give them 15 consecutive Wrigley Field wins. They have also had separate 10- and nine-game winning streaks so far in 2026. Not even the 2016 World Series champion team went on a tear like this for Chicago. It’s really something remarkable that everyone should appreciate no matter what happens from here.
On Deck
The Cubs travel down to Texas to battle the Rangers starting Friday night at 7:05pm CT. Chicago has not named a starter to go against Kumar Rocker in a matchup televised on Marquee with a radio feed on The Score.
