CINCINNATI — An uncharacteristically short start from Keegan Thompson kicked off the Cubs’ 8-5 loss to the Reds on Sunday.
He was charged with four runs in 1 u2154 innings. It was the first time in two months that he’d left a game before the fourth inning.
Thompson faced just four Reds batters in a scoreless first inning, but he needed 31 pitches to get through the frame.
“They didn’t really chase out of the zone, they did a good job of making me throw strikes,” Thompson said, “and when I was in the zone, they did a good job of fouling pitches off and having long at-bats and building my pitch count.