Anthony Rizzo homered for the third time as Chicago built a seven-run lead, and the Cubs let most of it slip away before Jeremy Jeffress closed out an 8-7 victory over a Cincinnati Reds team coping with coronavirus uncertainty.

Down 8-1 in the seventh inning, the Reds cut it to 8-5 on Joey Votto's two-run single. Craig Kimbrel walked the bases loaded with one out in the ninth, and then hit Freddy Galvis and walked Tyler Stephenson to cut it to 8-7.

Rizzo scored three times as the Cubs won for the third time in four games. The Reds dropped to 1-3, an especially disappointing start after their $165 million offseason makeover.

The Cubs arrived at a ballpark that had a brush with COVID-19. Reds infielder Matt Davidson went on the injured list Saturday after testing positive for the coronavirus, and teammates Mike Moustakas and Nick Senzel were sick a day later. The Reds were awaiting further results Monday.

Wade Miley hit Kris Bryant with his second pitch, walked Rizzo, and gave up Willson Contreras' double. Steven Souza Jr. doubled home two more in his Cubs debut, and David Bote's single made it 4-0 after only 28 pitches.

Javier Baez doubled home another run in the second, and Miley left after retiring only five of the 13 batters he faced. Rizzo hit a solo homer in the sixth off Tejay Antone.

Lester (1-0) handed a 6-0 lead over to the Cubs' bullpen, having thrown 76 pitches on a muggy night. Jesse Winker got the Reds' first hit an inning later, an RBI single off Rowan Wick.

Stephenson homered in his first major league plate appearance, the third in Reds history to do so and the first since Ted Tappe on Sept. 14, 1950, at Brooklyn.

The start of the game was delayed an hour and 47 minutes as a storm moved through.

Alec Mills makes his third career start against the Reds. He got his first career victory against Cincinnati at Sept. 16.

Tyler Mahle starts in place of Anthony DeSclafani. Mahle is 2-1 in five career starts against the Cubs with a 4.93 ERA.