Three at-bats that defined the Cubs' series-opening loss in Cincy

CINCINNATI -- The Cubs pulled off a pair of dramatic comeback wins over the White Sox this week, featuring signs of hope for an offense that had gone quiet for most of May. Another rally was required on Thursday against the Reds, but the North Siders could not manage the same late-inning magic.

In an 8-4 loss in the opener of a four-game set at Great American Ball Park, the heart of the Cubs’ order continued to trend in the right direction -- Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel both went deep -- but it was the pitching that could not hold the line.

“Everything matters in a game,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.

Here were three matchups that impacted Thursday’s tilt in the Queen City.

1. Javier Assad vs. Elly De La Cruz
In the first inning, Assad sent a 1-1 cutter to De La Cruz that flirted with the inside edge of the strike zone and was elevated enough to entice a swing from the Reds’ slugger. The result was a groundout to first baseman Cody Bellinger for the second out in a clean opening frame.

In the third inning when Assad again encountered De La Cruz -- playing on the one-year anniversary of his MLB debut -- the Cubs righty continued to lean on his cut fastball. This time, Assad was not able to send it to the same region of the zone. The pitch instead dove to the low-and-inside corner, and De La Cruz pounced on it.

“I missed a spot,” Assad said via translator. “The goal was to throw that high cutter. I left it low and he hit that.”

De La Cruz did not just hit the pitch -- he launched it with the hardest exit velocity (114.7 mph, per Statcast) for a Reds batter this season. It sailed into the right-field stands for a three-run home run, erasing the 2-0 lead the Cubs built in the previous half-inning.

“There was some traffic and there was some really good stuff,” Counsell said of Assad’s 5 2/3 innings. “A three-run homer is three runs on the board, right? That cost him.”

2. Porter Hodge vs. Tyler Stephenson
With the Reds clinging to a 5-4 lead in the seventh, Counsell handed the ball to Hodge with no outs and a runner on first base. The rookie righty was sharp out of the gates, inducing a popout off the bat of Spencer Steer and a groundout from Jake Fraley.

“He came in and did a nice job,” Counsell said.

Hodge then worked Stephenson into a 1-2 count and the Cubs reliever leaned on his powerful fastball to finish the job. Hodge uncorked a 96.6 mph heater that popped into catcher Miguel Amaya’s mitt low in the zone for what looked like a strike. Home-plate umpire Adrian Johnson saw things differently and called it a ball.

Hodge unraveled from there, throwing six consecutive balls after that pitch to walk Stephenson and Jacob Hurtubise to load the bases. Jonathan India then drew a bases-loaded walk off the righty, pushing Cincinnati to a 6-4 lead that would grow further later in the frame.

“There may have been a pitch in there that we could have got, and maybe should have got,” Counsell said. “There's still three walks on the board there. We've got to avoid that.”

3. Suzuki vs. Hunter Greene
There have been signs of offensive life over the past week-plus for the likes of Ian Happ, Bellinger, Morel and Suzuki. That would go a long way in continuing to put May’s offensive slide further in the rear-view mirror.

“It feels like the middle-of-our-order guys are getting to where they need to be,” Counsell said.

Suzuki took another step forward on Thursday, when he took a high-and-tight fastball from Greene for a ball before punishing the next pitch in the third. The Reds righty followed with a slider that hung in the middle of the zone and rocketed off Suzuki’s bat at 103.9 mph. The two-run shot found the second deck in left.

“I feel like I'm not at the point where I'm satisfied with my swing yet,” Suzuki said via his translator, Toy Matsushita. “It's just taking it one at-bat at a time and making the necessary changes to feel that satisfaction.”

Suzuki headed into the night hitting .296 with two homers, seven RBIs and a .974 OPS in his past seven games for the Cubs. He added a sun-aided double and the two-run blast in Cincinnati.

“He’s had some big swings lately, for sure,” Counsell said. “We’re starting to see him drive the baseball, which we need. Good signs from Seiya.”