CHICAGO (Interstat) — Michael Conforto went 3 for 3 with a homer and two RBI, Shota Imanaga pitched six innings of one-run ball and the Chicago Cubs extended their winning streak to nine games with an 8-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.

The Cubs completed a four-game sweep of the Reds and won their 15th straight game at Wrigley Field for their longest home winning streak since 1935. Chicago improved to 26-12, while Cincinnati fell to 20-18 and lost its seventh consecutive game.

Chicago seized control with a seven-run fourth inning, sending 11 batters to the plate. The inning began with walks to Alex Bregman and Ian Happ, then Michael Busch singled to load the bases. Conforto drew a walk to force in the tying run, and Dansby Swanson followed with a fielder’s choice that scored Happ. Pete Crow-Armstrong singled to center, scoring Conforto, and Miguel Amaya delivered a two-run single to center. Nico Hoerner doubled to drive in Amaya, and Moises Ballesteros added a sacrifice fly to cap the rally. By the time the inning ended, the Cubs led 8-1.

Cincinnati starter Rhett Lowder left the game during that inning with what the team said was right shoulder tightness. Lowder allowed three earned runs on one hit and three walks over three innings, striking out one. He took the loss, falling to 3-3.

Imanaga allowed one earned run on six hits over six innings while striking out 10. He improved to 4-2. The left-hander rebounded from a rough outing at Los Angeles on April 26, when he allowed five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. In his previous start, he threw seven scoreless innings against Arizona.

The Reds scored their first run off Imanaga in the second inning on Conforto’s solo homer, his second of the season. Cincinnati added a run in the sixth on Sal Stewart’s solo homer, his 10th, off Imanaga. The Reds scored again in the eighth on Blake Dunn’s first homer of the year, a line drive to left-center off reliever Trent Thornton. In the ninth, JJ Bleday doubled to score Stewart, but Daniel Palencia entered and struck out Nathaniel Lowe to end the game. Palencia earned his second save, pitching one-third of an inning.

Cincinnati’s bullpen performed well after Lowder’s early exit. Jose Franco pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out one. Luis Mey also threw two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

For the Cubs, Amaya went 1 for 2 with two RBI, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Hoerner doubled and drove in a run. Conforto also doubled in the seventh and walked twice, reaching base in all four plate appearances.

The Reds outhit the Cubs 9-7 but left nine runners on base and struck out 13 times. Cincinnati went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position. The Reds’ offense, which had produced only 13 runs in the previous six games, managed just three runs despite nine hits.

The Cubs continued their dominance at home, where they have won 15 consecutive games dating to April 25. Their last loss at Wrigley Field came against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 24. The nine-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the majors and matches Chicago’s best since it won nine straight in August 2021.

Cincinnati’s losing streak reached seven games, its longest since a seven-game skid in June 2023. The Reds dropped 12 of their last 14 games, falling from 19-6 on April 24 to 20-18. Their offense has averaged 2.9 runs per game during the skid.

The four-game sweep was the Cubs’ first of the Reds since August 2021. Chicago has won 10 of 13 meetings against Cincinnati this season.

The game was played in front of 30,441 at Wrigley Field and lasted 2 hours, 54 minutes. First pitch was at 1:20 p.m., but the game went into the evening hours, finishing under the lights.

Cincinnati returns home to face Houston on Friday, while Chicago travels to Texas to begin a three-game series with the Rangers.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Chicago Cubs 7, Cincinnati Reds 3. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Cubs a 63.70 percent probability to win. The total score of 11 went under the over/under line of 8.5.