Can it get any worse? The Chicago Cubs are playing uninspired baseball and are showing no signs of life despite the injection of youth in the form of Starlin Castro.
The Cubs were being no hit by rookie Mike Leake (3-0) until the 6th. Castro beat out an infield single to break up the no hit bid.
Up 2-0 in the 7th, Leake threw a wild pitch to Tyler Colvin which allowed Marlon Byrd to score the 1st Cubs run. Colvin then hit a 2 run homerun to right field to put the Cubs up 3-2.
That didn’t last for very long.
Cubs starter Ryan Dempster (2-3) was taking a quality start into the bottom of the 7th with the 3-2 lead. Dempster got himself into trouble when the Reds put 2 men on base. Lou Piniella had the lefty Sean Marshall in the bullpen, but decided to let Dempster pitch to 1 of the biggest Cub killers in recent years: Joey Votto.
Votto quickly made Piniella wish he would’ve made the move to the ‘pen. Dempster hung a pitch over the plate that Votto deposited into the stands for a 3 run home run.
The Cubs went quietly in the 8th and 9th and fell to 4 games under .500 (14-18).
After being swept in Pittsburgh and losing 2 of 3 in Cincy, the Cubs head home to take on the Florida Marlins. Ted Lilly (1-2) will look to recover from an ugly start in Pittsburgh and be the stopper for a struggling Chicago team. The Marlins will pitch left hander Nate Robertson (2-3).