Cincinnati rolls into Wrigley Wednesday in full freefall, having lost Tuesday's game 3-2 on a walk-off homer to extend the slide to 5. Chicago, meanwhile, is the hottest team in baseball — riding the majors-best win streak and a 12-game home winning streak that's the franchise's longest since 2008.
Brady Singer (2-2, 5.57) draws the short straw of trying to flip the script in the loudest building he could possibly walk into. His ERA tells the story — too much contact, too many baserunners, and the Reds rotation behind him is held together with tape after Lodolo, Williamson and Greene all hit the IL. Colin Rea (4-1, 4.41) doesn't blow anyone away, but he doesn't have to when his lineup is scoring late every night.
The injury sheet is brutal on both sides, but it's tilted Cincinnati's way at the worst possible moment. Pagan is the latest reliever down with a hamstring, joining Ferguson and Pierce Johnson out of the pen. The Cubs are missing Steele, Horton (Tommy John) and a half-dozen bullpen arms of their own — they're just winning anyway.
- Day-To-DayConnor Burns C
- Day-To-DayJosh Staumont RP — The Reds re-signed Staumont to a minor-league contract Dec. 30.
- 10-Day-ILEugenio Suarez 3B — Suarez (oblique) will take grounders on the field and flips in the batting cage Monday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 15-Day-ILEmilio Pagan RP — Pagan said Wednesday that he's been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and is expected to be sidelined 4-to-8 weeks, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
- 15-Day-ILNick Lodolo SP — Lodolo (finger) expects to face no workload limitations when he's activated from the 15-day injured list to start Friday's game against the Astros in Cincinnati, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILCaleb Ferguson RP — Ferguson (oblique) allowed one run on one hit and struck out two over one inning for Double-A Chattanooga on Friday.
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson SP — The Reds transferred Williamson (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
- 60-Day-ILHunter Greene SP — Greene (elbow) is playing catch from 110 feet and is about three weeks away from progressing to bullpen sessions, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- Day-To-DayJaxon Wiggins SP — Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Wiggins was placed on Triple-A Iowa's 7-day injured list Wednesday due to right elbow inflammation, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
- Day-To-DayBrandon Birdsell RP — Birdsell (elbow) will miss the entire 2026 season, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports.
- Day-To-DayJeff Brigham RP — The Cubs signed Brigham to a minor-league contract Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMatthew Boyd SP — The Cubs placed Boyd (knee) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to Monday.
- 15-Day-ILRiley Martin RP — Martin has been diagnosed with flexor strain in his left elbow and is expected to miss eight weeks, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
- 15-Day-ILCaleb Thielbar RP — The Cubs placed Thielbar on the 15-day injured list Friday with a left hamstring strain.
- 15-Day-ILHunter Harvey RP — Harvey (triceps) will restart his throwing program Friday, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILJordan Wicks RP — Wicks (elbow) struck out two batters and allowed one hit and one walk over three scoreless innings Saturday in a rehab start for Triple-A Iowa.
The market sees the obvious. Chicago is a heavy moneyline favorite, the run line sits at -1.5, and the public is hammering the Cubs side. The total of 8 is where it gets interesting — Singer's WHIP screams crooked numbers, but Rea has been efficient and the Cubs bullpen, banged up as it is, has been the closer of these games, not the one that loses them.
Reds need a starter to actually go 6 innings and a bat to wake up before this turns into a full identity crisis. Cubs need to keep doing what they're doing. One of these things is much harder than the other.