Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (8/29/26): Cubs 17, Reds 5 – MVPete Homers Three Times in Rout
The Cubs entered Saturday’s game against the Reds at Wrigley Field in the middle of a rough stretch highlighted by bullpen issues. Pete Crow-Armstrong and the rest of the offense made sure the relievers wouldn’t be a factor in this one, scoring 17 times on the way to a blowout victory.
PCA got things going against Andrew Abbott with a solo homer, the first of three, and Alex Bregman followed with a two-run shot to give Chicago a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st. Cincinnati responded off Kevin Gausman in the top of the 2nd when Eugenio Suárez hit his own two-run homer.
Crow-Armstrong struck again in the bottom of the frame with a two-run dinger to cap off a three-run inning and put the North Siders ahead 6-2. The Reds cut the deficit in half when Sal Stewart went deep in the top of the 3rd.
Bregman singled home run in the 4th inning and then Carson Kelly busted it open with a three-run blast to bring the margin to 10-5 in the 5th. PCA completed the hat trick in the bottom of the 7th with his own three-run jack that gave the Cubs a 13-5 edge.
Chicago would add on four more and win by a final of 17-5. (Box score)
Key Moment
The Kelly home run provided important breathing room for the Cubs and their beleaguered bullpen, which definitely needed a break.
Why the Cubs Won
A massive offensive explosion was the deciding factor on Saturday.
Stats That Matter
- Gausman wasn’t as good as his previous outing, but he didn’t need to be: 5 IP, 5 R, 6 H, 7 K, and 2 BB.
- PCA is out of his cold stretch with a single in addition to the homers.
- Tyrone Taylor had a four-hit game.
- Pedro Ramírez reached base four times with two hits and two walks.
Bottom Line
This went a long way toward earning PCA the MVP; it’s the kind of indelible moment that sticks in the minds of voters at the end of the season. More importantly, it gave the Cubs a big victory at a time when they were scuffling a little bit.
On Deck
The deciding game of the series is Sunday night at 6:20pm CT. Shōta Imanaga faces off against Chase Burns in a matchup televised exclusively on NBC with a radio feed on The Score.
