Cubs and Reds meet again on NBC Sunday Night Baseball as Chicago closes out the series at Wrigley

Sunday Night Baseball brings the Cubs back to Wrigley Field to finish their three-game series with the Reds, with NBC carrying the game in prime time. The setup follows a two-step swing in momentum for Chicago, which saw Friday’s contest slip away despite late-life in the comeback attempt, then rebounded with a decisive offensive surge the next night.

On Friday, the Cubs dropped a close game to Cincinnati, 10-8, in what the broadcast preview described as a near comeback that just never quite came together. That kind of one-run-or-two margin matters late in the regular season because it can turn a series into a slow drain instead of a turning point, especially when the schedule compresses teams into quick rematches.

Saturday looked like the response Chicago wanted. The Cubs scored 17 runs against the Reds, establishing a wide cushion early enough to turn the night into a showcase for their lineup. In that atmosphere, Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered the standout moment: the preview described it as the first career three home run effort for the Cubs outfielder and cast him as an MVP candidate.

Crow-Armstrong’s three-homer game, if sustained over time, indicates a rare combination of power and game-to-game difference-making. Even without projecting year-end hardware, a performance like that changes how an offense is constructed in the next games, because it pressures pitchers to rethink matchups and locations rather than treat the lineup as a fixed order.

For the Reds, Saturday’s loss sets up the urgency of Sunday’s finale. Cincinnati will be trying to erase the memory of being overwhelmed by a 17-run output, while also managing how Chicago’s bats might carry over into a series-deciding game at Wrigley. The Cubs, meanwhile, have the home-field advantage and the chance to convert the Saturday statement into a series clean finish.

There is also a television angle to this one. The Yahoo Sports preview frames the game as part of NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball viewing experience, including the familiar “bingo” interactive format that viewers can follow during the broadcast. That is not a baseball storyline, but it underscores how the league schedules marquee, high-interest matchups when teams are within reach of each other in the standings and fan interest remains elevated.

What to watch next is straightforward: whether Chicago’s Saturday power translates into consistent run production, and whether Cincinnati can tighten the game plan after being hit hard. With the series end approaching, both sides have a clear incentive to set the tone early in Sunday’s matchup, particularly in the first few innings when bullpens and relievers often get shaped by what came before.