And for the second straight night they scored an improbable walk-off victory, 2-1, after trailing 1-0 when the inning began.
Dormant for eight innings and down 1-0, the Reds scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to rescue victory in what could have been an ugly defeat.
On Friday night, they trailed 2-1 entering the ninth and also scored two runs, the game-winner coming on Noelvi Marte’s single.
This one was not so dramatic. The winner scored on Hunter Renfroe’s ground ball to shortstop with one out and the bases loaded.
The Cubs tried for an inning-ending double play, but Renfroe boot-scooted to first base to beat the relay throw as TJ Friedl scored from third.
The Reds won this one in spite of themselves. They had six hits in the first four innings but didn’t score because they had two runners picked off first and hit into a double play.
They continue to be kind to women, children, dogs and second-tier starting pitchers.
The Cubs started Javier Assad, only his fifth start after 15 bullpen appearances.
And with the Reds help, he shut them out for eight innings on seven hits, then turned matters over to Mark Leiter Jr. for the ninth.
Jake Fraley, he of the broken toe, greeted Leiter with a double over the right fielder’s head and Harrison Bader ran for him.
With Friedl at the plate, Bader boldly stole third, putting the tying run 90 feet from home with no outs.
Friedl then walked and Leiter hit Spencer Steer to fill the bases with no outs.
Nick Martini popped out, but Elly De La Cruz lined his third hit of the night and hit it so hard only Bader could score to tie it, 1-1.
Then came Renfroe’s romp to first, a walk-off fielder’s choice, Cincinnati’s ninth walk-off win and their 30th one-run win against 25 losses.
Andrew Abbott toiled diligently for 6 1/3 innings, holding the Cubs at check-mate while his teammates frittered away every chance to score with tee-ballish baserunning. Abbott’s only hiccup was a seventh inning home run by Jeimer Candelario.
But the way the Reds were running into outs, it looked as if that 1-0 score would hold up.
Spencer Steer walked in the first and Assad picked him off.
De La Cruz led off the second with a single and Assad picked him off, the only pickoffs Assad has concocted this season.
The Reds put their first two runners on base in the third, but Luke Maile hit into a double play and Fraley struck out.
They put their first two runners on in the sixth. Steer popped one to short right field and second baseman Nico Hoerner chased it down. He whirled and threw to second to double off Fraley.
Friedl then tried to steal second and was thrown out.
Abbott held the Cubs to one run and four hits for his 6 1/3 innings with two walks and five strikeouts.
Buck Farmer, Sam Moll and T.J. Antone muzzled the Cubs on no runs and one ht over the final 2 1/3 innings.
T.J. Antone? Yes, T.J. Antone, After his second Tommy John surgery, he missed more than two years, but re-surfaced Saturday. He gave up a leadoff hit in the eighth but coaxed a ground ball double play and struck out Ian Happ.
Assad went eight innings for the first time in his career and tied his strikeout best with seven. In seven of the last 10 games, the Reds have permitted the opposing starting pitcher to go at least five innings without scoring a run.
And with the win, the Reds clinched the season’s series with the Cubs. So if the two should tie for a wild card spot, the Reds own the tiebreaker.
SUNDAY’S GAME
Cubs at Reds, 12:10 p.m., Bally Sports Ohio, 700, 1410
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