The improbable win was their third straight walk-off triumph<\/a>, and it\u2019s their 14th consecutive victory at Wrigley Field.<\/p>\n Teams don\u2019t always force extra innings after seeing a two-run ninth-inning lead turn into a two-run deficit. They shouldn\u2019t expect the reliever who took Boyd\u2019s place, Trent Thornton, to pitch a scoreless 10th, allowing Michael Busch to deliver his second walk-off in as many days.<\/p>\n Yet everything Counsell and the Cubs are doing lately is turning into gold.<\/p>\n \u201cYou feel like you\u2019ve seen a lot of baseball games in your life, and then you see stuff that you just don\u2019t expect to see, but that\u2019s why we love it, right?\u201d Counsell said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t your normal game, but both sides are battling, trying to come out with the \u2018W\u2019, and we came out on top.\u201d<\/p>\n Offense sparked the Cubs on Wednesday, as it has for the last 21 games, where they\u2019ve gone 18-3. Ian Happ started things with a two-run home run in the first, extending his on-base streak to 27 games. The Cubs added two more runs in the fourth that gave right-hander Colin Rea a bit of a cushion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of news so far this year that we\u2019ve worked through,\u201d Happ said. \u201cBut I think the position player group is experienced and has been together and deep. I think that that was always going to carry us through 162 games.\u201d<\/p>\n Rea, who was thrust into the rotation after Cade Horton suffered a season-ending elbow injury<\/a> that required surgery, allowed two runs, one earned, in 5 1\/3 innings on Wednesday. Jacob Webb (1 2\/3 innings) and Phil Maton (one inning) preserved a 4-2 lead into the ninth.<\/p>\n Counsell, though, turned to Corbin Martin, not his regular closer Daniel Palencia, to try to close the door. Palencia pitched a scoreless ninth inning in Tuesday\u2019s win and had warmed up twice in Monday night\u2019s victory, so Counsell was avoiding the flamethrower on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe told him off the IL, we\u2019re just going to be safe with this and not a back-to-back in your first kind of set here,\u201d Counsell said.<\/p>\n The Reds jumped on Martin. Spencer Steer started the inning with a solo home run, and Will Benson and Tyler Stephenson followed with a pair of singles. Counsell brought veteran left-hander Hoby Milner to try and wiggle out of the jam, but he double-clutched a sacrifice bunt, which loaded the bases. The Reds tied the game two batters later and then scored a pair of runs on a sacrifice fly to right field that brought Seiya Suzuki to the ground against the wall while catching it.<\/p>\n But the Cubs didn\u2019t waver. Carson Kelly hit a one-out single against right-hander Graham Ashcraft, setting the stage for Crow-Armstrong\u2019s blast.<\/p>\n \u201cWith a guy that\u2019s throwing 98 mph cutters, you just got to be ready for that, hoping that it starts in the right place and hopefully shutting down on everything else,\u201d Crow-Armstrong said. \u201cHe\u2019s good, so I\u2019m glad I made something work there.\u201d<\/p>\n Photos: Chicago Cubs 7, Cincinnati Reds 6 (10)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n![\"Cubs](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CTC-CUBS-REDS-050626-41.jpg\")
Cubs pitcher Trent Thornton yells in celebration after throwing the tenth inning against the Reds at Wrigley Field on May 6, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"Cubs](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CTC-CUBS-REDS-050626-13.jpg\")
Cubs left fielder Ian Happ swings for a two-run home run against the Reds in the first inning at Wrigley Field on May 6, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n