The lead
May 7, 2026 - Chicago - The Chicago Cubs are playing with the kind of home rhythm that shows up in history books. Michael Conforto went 3-for-3 with a homer and two RBI, Shota Imanaga struck out 10 across six innings of one-run ball, and Chicago extended its win streak to nine with an 8-3 victory that swept a four-game set against the Cincinnati Reds, per the Associated Press recap on ESPN.
The Cubs also pushed a 15-game Wrigley win streak—their longest at the Friendly Confines since 1935 in the wire story’s framing.
How the game turned
The fourth blew it open. Rhett Lowder (3-3) walked the first two batters, left with right shoulder tightness on a 1-0 count to Michael Busch, and Connor Phillips could not stop the bleed: seven runs crossed for Chicago’s highest-scoring inning of the season, per ESPN.
Conforto had already homered in the second—plus he crashed into the ivy-side wall to rob an inning-ending catch in the fifth with two on.
Pitching and matchup notes
Imanaga (4-2) extended a scoreless run to 12 innings before Sal Stewart’s solo homer in the sixth. The left-hander allowed four hits and three walks while reaching double-digit strikeouts for the fifth time in his career, according to AP.
Daniel Palencia recorded the final out for his second save after Gavin Hollowell—called up earlier in the day—allowed a solo homer and an RBI double in the eighth and ninth.
Bats that changed the board
Ian Happ walked in the fourth to stretch an on-base streak to 28 games—called the second-longest active march in the majors in the recap.
AthX Engine fantasy angle
The Cubs ranked third on May 7 at 16 AthX Engine team FP behind Imanaga’s 19 pitching FP and a crooked inning that still registers when the pen permits late cosmetic runs. AthX Engine is not the same thing as dynamic pricing.
What comes next
The Reds turn to Nick Lodolo for a season debut against Houston on Friday; Chicago’s Friday starter at Texas was TBD in the AP notebook while the Cubs packed the league’s hottest luggage for the road.
*Sources: MLB.com schedule, ESPN recap, Associated Press via ESPN, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*
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