Cincinnati receiver Tyler Stephenson made a blunder that was a perfect summary of the team’s recent struggles.
Advertisement
Stephenson thought there was a force play at home for one out, but there wasn’t. As a result, he stood still as Ian Happ crossed the plate, earning a run for Chicago and a not-so-necessary out for Cincinnati.
Chicago had the bases loaded with no outs. The Cubs had scored a run at that point, and shortstop Dansby Swanson hit a grounder to third base for a fielder’s choice. Cincinnati’s Ke’Bryan Hayes marked third for one out and threw home to prevent a run from scoring.Stephenson didn’t realize the situation on the base paths had changed and caught the ball while standing at home plate, came down and then gave props to Hayes for the good play.
Advertisement
The Reds catcher didn’t realize that Hayes had made a force play at home, so Stephenson stood there and didn’t touch Ian Happ, simply letting a run score just inches away from him.
The bottom of the fourth inning began with Cincinnati trailing just 1-0, but then starter Rhett Lowder left the game with “right shoulder soreness.”
The problems went from bad to worse as Stephenson’s mental lapse helped open the floodgates of the game. When the dust settled on the inning, Chicago entered the fifth up 8-0, inching closer to its ninth consecutive victory.