Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (5/31/25): Cubs 2, Reds 0 – Brown Brilliant in Shutout

The Cubs and Reds met in the second game of their series at Wrigley Saturday afternoon. Chicago received several outstanding pitching efforts and took home a low-scoring victory to even the series.

Drew Pomeranz served as the opener for the North Siders and pitched a clean inning before Ben Brown took over in the 2nd. Reds starter Nick Lodolo was on his game and kept the home team off the scoreboard throughout his outing.

Brown had his best performance of 2025, allowing just a single hit in six frames, and the game remained scoreless into the 8th. The Cubs finally rallied against Graham Ashcraft in the bottom of that inning with a walk and a single to put one on with one out for Seiya Suzuki.

Suzuki lifted a high fly ball down the right field line and outfielder Will Benson lost it in the sun, letting it drop for the go-ahead RBI double. Two batters later, Dansby Swanson beat out a ground ball to shortstop for an infield single to score an insurance run that put Chicago in front 2-0.

Daniel Palencia earned the save in the 9th with an assist from a tremendous diving catch in center by Pete Crow-Armstrong to complete the Cubs’ one-hit shutout victory. (Box score)

Key Moment

Matt Shaw drew a walk to begin the 8th inning, which put the North Siders in position to take advantage of Benson’s miscue later in the frame.

Why the Cubs Won

An absolute lights-out performance by the entire pitching staff was enough to win even with almost no offensive output.

Stats That Matter

• Brown was nasty Saturday, demonstrating just how good he can be: 6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 9 K, 1 BB.
• Ian Happ had a very nice game on the day he received his 2024 Gold Glove with two doubles and a walk.
• Kyle Tucker got on three times with two singles and a hit by pitch.

Bottom Line

When the Cubs keep the Reds off the board in the 1st inning, they are unstoppable. Brown can be a very valuable part of the rotation if he can harness his tremendous stuff like he did Saturday. Craig Counsell‘s squad can win many different ways, making them very dangerous going forward.

On Deck

The rubber match of the series is Sunday afternoon at 1:20pm CT. Matthew Boyd takes the mound against Nick Martinez in a game broadcast on Marquee with radio coverage on 670 The Score.