Dansby Swanson's Homer Lifts Cubs Over Reds

Swanson's Eighth-Inning Blast Breaks Deadlock

Chicago Cubs 4, Cincinnati Reds 2

CHICAGO -- Dansby Swanson hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 on Thursday night.

Trailing 2-1, Swanson connected off reliever Ian Gibaut (0-2) with one out and Seiya Suzuki aboard. It was Swanson's 12th homer of the season and gave the Cubs their first lead of the game.

"It was a big moment for us," Swanson said. "We needed a big hit there, and I was able to come through for the team."

Justin Steele (3-4) pitched 6 1/3 innings for the Cubs, allowing two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Brandon Hughes, Rowan Wick and Mark Leiter Jr. combined to retire the final eight Reds batters.

"Our bullpen has been great all year," Steele said. "I knew I didn't have my best stuff tonight, but I was able to grind through it and give them a chance to win."

The Reds took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run single by TJ Friedl. The Cubs cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third on a sacrifice fly by Suzuki.

Swanson's homer gave the Cubs their first lead of the game, and the bullpen made it stand up.

"Dansby has been a leader for us all year," said Cubs manager David Ross. "He's a great player and a great teammate, and we're lucky to have him."

The Cubs have won four of their last five games and are now 22-26 on the season.

"We're starting to play better as a team," Swanson said. "We're getting good pitching, our defense is playing well, and our offense is starting to click. We're not there yet, but we're definitely headed in the right direction."