Photo via Toronto Star

Boyd ends 6-start winless streak, Cubs beat Reds 5-2 to close on playoff berth

Read the original at Toronto Star ↗
Cite

Schatz, G. (2026, September 20). Boyd ends 6-start winless streak, Cubs beat Reds 5-2 to close on playoff berth. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/boyd-ends-6-start-winless-streak-cubs-beat-reds-5-2-to-close-on-playoff-berth/article_552af490-3813-56bd-a247-17b9ddd7373c.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-09-20 · by Gary Schatz

Quick Summary

Matthew Boyd broke his six-start winless streak as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds 5-2 on Saturday in Cincinnati. Key players for the Cubs included Dansby Swanson, who hit a home run just days after returning from injury, and Michael Busch, whose tiebreaking homer put Chicago ahead in the sixth inning. The victory brought Chicago’s record to 86-69, putting them closer to securing their second consecutive playoff spot.
Written by AI on 2026-09-20, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On Saturday, Matthew Boyd ended his six-start winless streak as he pitched five innings, allowing one earned run against the Cincinnati Reds. The Chicago Cubs ultimately won the game 5-2, with Dansby Swanson hitting his first home run since returning from an injury on Friday. This victory helped the Cubs move closer to clinching a playoff spot in their second consecutive year. Michael Busch hit a tie-breaking homer in the sixth inning, marking his third season reaching 20 homers. The Cubs lead the majors with 214 home runs and are tied with Philadelphia and San Diego for the three NL wild cards at 86-69. Meanwhile, the Reds have lost nine of their last twelve games.

Written for “Boyd Cubs Win” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Boyd Cubs Win
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Cubs vs. Reds picks, odds: MLB predictions, best bets Saturday Different event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A predicts the game before it happens, while Article B reports on the actual outcome of a game played after the prediction.”
Crow-Armstrong hits 45th homer as Cubs beat Reds 9-1, edge closer to playoff berth Different event
Toronto Star
Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different games on consecutive days between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds with distinct outcomes.”
Marlins prevent Cubs from clinching a playoff spot again with a 3-2 victory Different event
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different games involving the Cubs and their playoff pursuit on separate dates.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
10
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-20 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 10621 article(s) · 27 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 27 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-22
News Clarification for Oct. 22
2026-10-21
No. 6 Hoosiers try to for rare rebound at Michigan after turning the page on 22-game winning streak
2026-10-19
Driver’s License Suspensions for Court Debt Draw Scrutiny
2026-10-16
Amputations and cancer treatment delays: Lawmakers hear testimony on Mississippi prison healthcare
2026-10-16
UPDATE: Golconda Gold Releases Q3 2026 Production Update at Galaxy
2026-10-08
News Clarification for Oct. 8
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-10-05
Entertainment Correction for Oct. 5
2026-10-03
Tennessee's prisons chief is resigning after failed execution of Christa Pike
2026-09-28
Organizations call for Action to End the Deaths of Indigenous People in Custody
2026-09-27
Police memorial recognizes six officers killed in the line of duty in 2026
2026-09-27
UPDATE: WSP to host Power & Energy-focused investor event virtually only
2026-09-26
News Clarification for Sept. 27
2026-09-26
Former federal public servant seeks better pensions for injured workers
2026-09-25
News Corrections for Sept. 25
2026-09-25
She has not been charged. But the Project South allegations have branded her with a 'scarlet letter'
2026-09-24
Correction
2026-09-23
MULTIMEDIA UPDATE: Smith+Nephew launches the new EVOS™ PELVIC Plating System at the 2026 Orthopedic Trauma Association (OTA) Annual Meeting, expanding the EVOS Plating Platform for pelvic and acetabular fracture management
2026-09-22
Costa Rican man complained of lack of care for diabetes before his death in ICE custody, family says
2026-09-22
Judges' grilling of accused men leads to sex assault and dangerous driving cases being overturned
2026-09-20
Jura Energy Corporation Provides Clarification Regarding Media Reports Concerning Its Petroleum Rights in Pakistan
2026-09-19
New details emerge about Toronto's guns-for-hire and the 'crash-out mission" that sparked the Project South investigation
2026-09-17
UPDATE: Osisko Critical Minerals Corporation Announces C$100 Million Private Placement of Special Warrants
2026-09-17
Alabama set to execute man for pawn shop killings months after his nitrogen gas execution blocked
2026-09-04
Orca Corrects Q3 Quarterly Dividend Announcement

Who wrote this

Gary Schatz
3 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 Graham Ashcraft walked the first two batters in the eighth in his first appearance since May 25.
2026-09-06 · assertive framing · Elly De La Cruz homers, drives in 4 runs as the Reds beat the Brewers 12-8
🔮 William Contreras hit what appeared to be a double-play ground ball to shortstop, but Elly De La Cruz bobbled it to load the bases.
2026-09-05 · assertive framing · Pratt drives in 4 runs in the Brewers' 10-7 win over the Reds
Also by Gary Schatz
Elly De La Cruz homers, drives in 4 runs as the Reds beat the Brewers 12-8
2026-09-06 · Toronto Star
Pratt drives in 4 runs in the Brewers' 10-7 win over the Reds
2026-09-05 · Toronto Star
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

CINCINNATI Chicago Reds the Chicago Cubs the Cincinnati Reds

Subjects

Swanson PERSON · 4× CINCINNATI GPE · 2× Reds ORG · 2× Dansby Swanson PERSON · 1× Matthew Boyd PERSON · 1× Michael Busch PERSON · 1× Nick Lodolo PERSON · 1× Zach McCambley PERSON · 1× the Chicago Cubs ORG · 1× the Cincinnati Reds ORG · 1×

Narrative

CINCINNATI (AP) — Matthew Boyd ended a six-start winless streak, Dansby Swanson hit his first home run since coming off the injured list and the Chicago Cubs moved closer to their second straight playoff berth by beating the Cincinnati Reds 5-2 Saturday. Michael Busch hit a tiebreaking home run off Nick Lodolo (3-6) in the sixth inning for a 3-2 lead, reaching 20 homers for the third time in four seasons. Swanson added a ninth-inning drive against Zach McCambley, Swanson’s home run and first since Aug. 12.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-20
2026-09-20 · Toronto Star
Boyd ends 6-start winless streak, Cubs beat Reds 5-2 to close on playoff berth · assertive framing

Claims (10 extracted, 0 hedged)

CINCINNATI (AP) — Matthew Boyd ended a six-start winless streak, Dansby Swanson hit his first home run since coming off the injured list and the Chicago Cubs moved closer to their second straight playoff berth by beating the Cincinnati Reds 5-2 Saturday. Michael Busch hit a tiebreaking home run off Nick Lodolo (3-6) in the sixth inning for a 3-2 lead, reaching 20 homers for the third time in four seasons. Swanson added a ninth-inning drive against Zach McCambley, Swanson’s home run and first since Aug. 12. asserted
Swanson → end → Aug.
Swanson returned Friday from a strained left oblique that had sidelined him since Aug. 16. asserted
that → return → Aug.
Chicago (86-69), which leads the major leagues with 214 home runs, began the day tied with Philadelphia and San Diego for the three NL wild cards. asserted
which → lead → cards
Boyd (9-5) had been been 0-4 since beating Kansas City on Aug. 9. asserted
Boyd → beat → Aug.
He allowed two runs — one earned — and two hits in five innings as part of a four-hitter. asserted
He → allow → hitter
Lodolo gave up three runs and six hits in seven innings for the Reds, who have lost nine of 12. asserted
who → give → nine
Matt Shaw’s sacrifice fly in the second and Seiya Suzuki RBI single in the fifth built a 2-0 lead. asserted
fly → build → lead
Cincinnati tied the score in the bottom half on Swanson’s run-scoring throwing error at shortstop and . Ke’Bryan Hayes’ RBI single. asserted
Cincinnati → tie → shortstop
Nico Hoerner added a run-scoring single in the eighth. asserted
Hoerner → add → eighth
Cubs LHP David Peterson (8-8, 5.11) and Reds LHP Rhett Lowder (6-11, 5.79) start Sunday. ___ asserted
Peterson → start → ?
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 31 Oct 2026