Terry Francona Snaps at Reporter After Embarrassing Reds Loss to Cubs — “What Kind of Question Is That?

The Cincinnati Reds wrapped up their series at Wrigley Field on a frustrating note Wednesday afternoon, falling 6–1 to the Chicago Cubs in a lopsided finale. The loss didn’t just sting on the scoreboard—it also sparked tension in the postgame media session, where manager Terry Francona made it clear he wasn’t in the mood for optimism.

After his team was held to just four hits and struck out 12 times, Francona was asked if he could find any positives from the series—despite taking two of three games overall. He responded sharply: “I don’t know why you asked that.” He later doubled down, saying, “If I thought it was productive, I’d do it. It’s just not a productive way to do things.” Moral victories, it seems, weren’t part of the postgame plan.

The Cubs didn’t just win—they dominated. Rookie right-hander Cade Horton continued his breakout campaign with 5 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out six without issuing a walk. He’s now thrown 23 1/3 consecutive scoreless frames, dating back nearly a month.

Chicago’s offense provided plenty of support. Seiya Suzuki led the way with a third-inning sacrifice fly and a solo home run in the sixth—his 27th of the season, tying him for fourth in the National League. Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ tacked on solo shots in the seventh and eighth innings, sealing the blowout.

Offensively, the Reds couldn’t generate much. TJ Friedl reached base twice and scored the team’s only run in the ninth after a single, eventually coming home on an Austin Hays groundout to avoid the shutout.

Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati’s most reliable starter this season, was charged with the loss. He allowed four earned runs over 6 2/3 innings, marking just his third loss of the year. While he kept the game close through the early innings, Chicago’s late home run surge pushed the outing into rough territory.

The Cubs bullpen didn’t let up. Andrew Kittredge delivered an immaculate inning in the seventh—three strikeouts on nine pitches, the first by a Cub since 2022. Daniel Palencia closed things out for his 16th save of the year.

The defeat drops the Reds to 60–55, three games back of the Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot. Even with the series win, the combination of a flat performance and Francona’s pointed remarks made it clear: expectations are rising in Cincinnati, and the margin for error is shrinking fast.