Floundering Chicago Cubs Lose to Cincinnati Reds 4-3

Randy Wells pitched a quality start, but that was not enough for the Cubs to win.

Once again, the Cubs stumbled in front of their home crowd, losing a heart-breaking 4-3 ballgame to the Cincinnati Reds.

After two terrible starts, Wells showed up today, giving the best he could to hold the Reds until the seventh. 

The Cubs did have their chances to take the game away, however, they would need better hitting.  With runners in scoring position today, they went 1-for-8.  Yesterday, they were 0-for-6 in the shutout defeat.

The Reds put the game’s first run on the scoreboard. 

In the third inning, center fielder Drew Stubbs led off with a double to left field and catcher Ramon Hernandez followed with a single to score Stubbs. 

They could have scored more runs but the Cubs right fielder Kosuke Fukudome dove to catch Brandon Phillips’s line drive which subsequently doubled off Hernandez at first base.

The Cubs nullified Cincinnati’s lead at the bottom third.  Fukudome, reaching second on a double, tallied on Derrek Lee’s sacrifice fly. 

The Reds’ big inning came in the seventh, taking a 3-1 lead.  Center fielder Drew Stubbs, who had a three home run game last time in Wrigley, hit a solo shot on Randy Wells’s breaking ball to center field.  It was his 14th of the season. 

Hernandez singled to left and Chris Heisey walked to force Wells (5-10) out of the game.  Phillips grounded into his second double play today before Paul Janish hit a line drive to left to score Hernandez. 

These three runs were charged to Wells. 

Stubbs produced the Reds’ final run of the game in the ninth, his ground ball finding a hole between shortstop and third, scoring Laynce Nix easily from second base. 

The center fielder finished the night hitting 3-for-4, scoring two runs with a pair of RBI.

The Cubs rallied, but fell short in the ninth. 

Facing Reds closer Francisco Cordero, second baseman Blake Dewitt walked before Koyie Hill struck out looking.  Cordero issued back-to-back walks to pinch hitter Mike Fontenot and Fukudome to load the bases. 

Shortstop Starlin Castro then took one hard for his team.  He was hit on the left shoulder, but the play forced DeWitt to score from third. 

Reliever Nick Masset came in to clean up the mess.  Although he walked Ramirez to allow the Cubs’ second run, he ended the game by fanning Marlon Byrd.  He got the save, his second of the year.

Reds reliever Logan Ondrusek improved his record to 3-0, pitching 1.1 innings.  He replaced starter, Edinson Volquez, who limited the Cubs to one run and six hits in 6.2 innings.

No one in the Cubs’ lineup had more than one hit this afternoon.  Byrd went 1-for-5, striking out a couple of times.  He has had eight strikeouts in his last five games. 

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