Chicago Cubs @ Cincinnati Reds – Series Preview (September 18-20): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (85-68) took their second consecutive series by winning two of three from the first-place Braves at Wrigley Field. The offense came through in the two victories, scoring 15 total runs, and the pitching did just enough to make them stand up. They continue their fight for the top spot in the Wild Card with a trip to Great American Ball Park for three games against the Reds starting Friday.
The Reds (71-82) have had a brutal schedule since they took two out of three from Chicago at the Friendly Confines at the end of August, having played only the Dodgers and the Brewers in the last four series. Not surprisingly, they went 4-9 during that stretch and sit firmly in last place in the NL Central as the season winds to a close.
Cincinnati’s offense has hit 203 home runs in 2026, but they also have the lowest team batting average and OBP in baseball. Shortstop Elly De La Cruz is on an absolute heater right now with seven home runs in September. First baseman Sal Stewart has done plenty of damage against the Cubs and has 32 dingers on the season.
Cincy’s pitching staff has taken an absolute beating this month, allowing a total of 94 runs (or about 6.2 per game). Chase Burns remains the bright spot in the starting rotation with a 2.80 ERA in 151.1 innings. Brock Burke and Tejay Antone have done good work as power arms in the bullpen, and Emilio Pagan has been mostly effective as the closer with 23 saves and a 3.63 ERA. Most of the other arms have been pretty bad down the stretch, as evidenced by a 4.75 team reliever ERA.
The Cubs are tied with the Phillies for home-field advantage in the Wild Card round, so every win is big right now. Cincinnati is not a pushover, even if their record says otherwise, but anything less than a series victory would be highly disappointing.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, September 18 at 5:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Saturday, September 19 at 5:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Sunday, September 20 at 12:40pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 9/18 | Clay Holmes | 33 | R | 2.85 | 6-7 | 3.58 | 2.09 |
| Chase Burns | 23 | R | 2.80 | 15-3 | 3.17 | 3.35 | |
| 9/19 | Matthew Boyd | 35 | L | 4.16 | 8-5 | 4.34 | 2.54 |
| Nick Lodolo | 28 | L | 5.12 | 3-5 | 5.76 | 1.88 | |
| 9/20 | David Peterson | 31 | L | 5.11 | 8-8 | 4.06 | 2.00 |
| Rhett Lowder | 24 | R | 5.79 | 6-11 | 4.78 | 1.92 |
What to Watch For
- Pete Crow-Armstrong had a huge series against the Braves with seven hits, including a triple, a double, and three home runs.
- Boyd has not recorded a win in his last five starts.
- Alex Bregman broke out of a mini-slump with three extra-base hits in Wednesday’s game.
- The Cubs are 7-3 against the Reds in 2026.
