Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs - News - May 06, 2026 | FOX Sports

Sal Stewart - Snaps RBI drought in loss Stewart went 1-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's 8-3 loss to the Cubs.

Impact Stewart went deep in the sixth inning of Shota Imanaga, his 10th home run of the season and first RBI in 11 games. The rookie has been grinding of late and entered Thursday's contest on a 4-for-40 (.100) run over the last 10 games.

MAY 8 • ROTOWIRE

Blake Dunn - Homers in loss Dunn started in right field and went 2-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's 8-3 loss to the Cubs.

Impact Dunn made his first start for the Reds since being called up Sunday, as the right-handed hitter stepped in against Chicago lefty Shota Imanaga. Until Thursday, Dunn was used as a pinch runner in his first three appearances.

MAY 8 • ROTOWIRE

Rhett Lowder - MRI coming Friday Lowder (shoulder) will undergo an MRI on Friday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Impact Lowder was removed in the fourth inning of Thursday's game with right shoulder discomfort. Reds manager Terry Francona said he didn't believe Lowder was in a lot of discomfort, but Friday's imaging should present a clearer picture and inform the next steps for the right-hander. Lowder acknowledged that he had been dealing with something in the right shoulder, which may have impacted his previous start May 2, when he allowed eight runs, five hits and four walks over 1.1 innings.

MAY 8 • ROTOWIRE

Connor Phillips - Struggles again Thursday Phillips was pressed into action Thursday against the Cubs after Rhett Lowder (shoulder) left in the fourth inning, and proceeded to allow five runs on four hits and a walk in one...

Impact It's tempting to give Phillips a little bit of grace given the circumstances of his entry into the game, and because of a mental mistake made by catcher Tyler Stephenson. But this isn't his first recent disaster outing, including one last weekend where he walked all four batters that he faced. For the season he has 21 walks allowed in 20 innings, and thus can't be a serious candidate for saves for the Reds even with Emilio Pagan (hamstring) out.

MAY 8 • ROTOWIRE

Ben Brown - Set for spot start Brown will draw a start on the mound for Friday's series opener against the Rangers, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Impact Brown will make a spot start in place of Matthew Boyd (knee) after the latter was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a meniscus injury in his left knee. Brown has operated exclusively as a bullpen arm this season, posting a 2.10 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 24 strikeouts over 25.2 innings. The right-hander has yet to exceed 50 pitches in an appearance, so it's unclear how deep he'll be able to throw against Texas.

MAY 7 • ROTOWIRE

Shota Imanaga - Strikes out 10 in win Imanaga (4-2) earned the win Thursday over the Reds, allowing a run on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out 10.

Impact It was another strong showing from Imanaga, who logged double-digit strikeouts for the second time this season while holding Cincinnati scoreless until Sal Stewart led off the sixth inning with a homer. Imanaga has allowed just one run over 13 innings in his last two starts, lowering his ERA to 2.28 on the year with a 0.93 WHIP and 53 strikeouts across eight outings (47.1 innings). Imanaga is currently in line to face Atlanta on the road his next time out.

MAY 7 • ROTOWIRE

Deadspin | Cubs ride 7-run inning to beat Reds for ninth straight win Deadspin | Cubs ride 7-run inning to beat Reds for ninth straight win

MAY 7 • DEADSPIN.COM