Cubs 7, Reds 6 (10): Walk-Off Walk Caps Another Wrigley Nightmare for Cincinnati

The lead

May 6, 2026 - Chicago - The Chicago Cubs are living at the intersection of theater and exhaustion. Michael Busch forced in the winning run with a bases-loaded walk in the 10th—almost hit by a 3-1 sinker from Brock Burke (1-2)—after Pete Crow-Armstrong tied the game with a two-run homer in the ninth, and the Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 for their eighth consecutive win, per the Associated Press recap carried by CBS Sports.

It was Chicago’s third walk-off in a row and 14th straight home victory, matching its longest Wrigley streak since 2008 in the AP box.

How the game turned

Ian Happ homered in the first—his team-high ninth and 33rd career homer against Cincinnati, his most against any opponent, per the wire story—as the Cubs built a 4-2 lead into the ninth.

The Reds erupted for four runs in the top half. Spencer Steer led off with his sixth homer, traffic mounted, and Elly De La Cruz lifted a go-ahead sacrifice fly that Seiya Suzuki caught while collapsing against the right-field wall; Matt McLain raced home from second on the tag-up to make it 6-4.

Carson Kelly singled with one out in the bottom half before Crow-Armstrong pulled a two-run drive to left-center off Graham Ashcraft to force extras.

In the 10th, Suzuki’s intentional walk loaded the bases for Busch, whose plate discipline flipped the outcome without another ball in play. Trent Thornton (1-0), in his Cubs debut, earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief.

Pitching and matchup notes

Both clubs burned leverage arms on a night defined more by reversals than clean frames. Burke’s miss just off the plate—almost a painful HBP—became the pivot point Chicago will remember and Cincinnati will rue.

Bats that changed the board

Happ went 3-for-5 with two runs. McLain and Steer homered for a Reds team sliding on a six-game losing streak, yet their four-run ninth still wasn’t enough once Crow-Armstrong answered.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

The Cubs posted 11 AthX Engine team FP on May 6—lower than some blowouts but reflective of a 7-6, 10-inning track meet. Ian Happ’s 11 hitting FP and Crow-Armstrong’s 9 still show how extra-inning heroics register on the hitter ladder. AthX Engine differs from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

Rhett Lowder and Shota Imanaga were lined up for Thursday’s series finale as the NL Central pace-setter tries to extend both its overall 18-for-21 stretch and the late-inning magic that has turned Wrigley into baseball’s loudest nine o’clock show.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, ESPN recap, CBS Sports recap, Associated Press via CBS, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*