May 31, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Scott Hairston (21) catches a fly ball during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Reid Compton-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Rizzo went home on a fielder’s choice play to prevent a run in the third and Jackson tried to himself with a RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, but the Cubs starter gave it right back in the fifth. Scott Hairston tied the game at 4 apiece with a two run shot in the bottom half, his second homer of the series as he tries to wake up from an ugly season long slump. Despite getting the first two outs in the top of the sixth, Jackson could not finish the inning. He was singled to death as Arizona strung together four base hits with an intentional walk in between to tag Jackson with three more runs, jumping back ahead 7-4.

Jackson would exit with 12 hits and three walks allowed in just 5 2/3 innings of work, leading to seven runs (five earned). The Cubs offense could do nothing against the Arizona bullpen and E Jax fell to 1-8. It should also be noted that Carlos Marmol continued his struggles, walking three in the eighth and allowing one run. Things could have easily been uglier had the Diamondbacks gone one for two on a double steal attempt that resulted in the second out. This latest Wild Thing outing of course comes after the grand slam debacle the night before.

A series loss to the NL West leading Snakes may have been expected, but the method of the losses surely puts a damper after a solid week of play (mostly at the expense of the White Sox) that saw a season high five game winning streak.

Samardzija worked around jams in the second and fifth innings, including a bad call by the first base umpire that should have been the second out. On the play manager Dale Sveum would get tossed by home plate ump Joe West. Otherwise, The Shark cruised until the seventh. The Cubs righty walked a pair before making way to James Russell. The lefty, who has been a consistent presence in the pen, proceeded to issue a walk of his own before Jason Kubel cleared the bases with a three run double. It was a textbook example of how walks will kill you and the Cubs were now down 3-4.

Jun 1, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (44) runs the bases after hitting a grand slam homer against the Chicago Cubs during the eighth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Schierholtz responded right away with a lead off solo shot in the bottom of the seventh, but Carlos Marmol found a way to spoil things again in the eighth. A pair of walks and a ground rule double loaded the bases ahead of Paul Goldschmidt, who launched a grand slam to left center to put Arizona back ahead 8-4. The visitors picked on new Cub Zach Putnam for four more runs in the ninth and a once promising game ended with an ugly 12-4 scoreline in favor of the Snakes.

Walks were the number one suspect in this loss, with The Shark allowing four and Marmol allowing three in just 1/3 of an inning of work. The Cubs staff issued eight free passes in all, with six of them coming in to score.

May 25, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Rafael Dolis (48) pitches during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The Reds defeated the Cubs 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

To take Camp’s place in the bullpen, Rafael Dolis was called up for the third time this season. While Dolis was racking up the frequent flier miles, the front office also plucked Eduardo Sanchez off of waivers and optioned him to Triple A. The right handed reliever comes from the rival Cardinals and has respectable WHIP and strikeout to walks numbers despite a 4.26 ERA in a small sample size that is seven appearances and 6 1/3 innings pitch so far this season.

Alex Burnett was a Memorial Day waiver wire pick up from the Orioles and was a timely addition as Kyuji Fujikawa hit the DL yet again. The Japanese veteran had felt a pop in his previous appearance in Cincinnati and news came out on Wednesday, May 29th that the reliever will be requiring Tommy John surgery. The diagnosis means that Fujikawa will be shut down for at least the rest of the 2013 season after signing a two year deal this past off season.

Burnett’s best season came in 2012 with the Twins, where he appeared in 67 games with a 4-4 record and a 3.52 ERA strictly as a reliever. With the injuries and inconsistencies plaguing the 2013 Cubs pen, Burnett at the least will have an opportunity to seize a job if he can prove to be productive. The same opportunity exists for in house prospect Dolis, but the Cubs will really hope to see Carlos Marmol regain his second half 2012 form. Not only to stabilize the bullpen in its current state, but the build up that elusive trade value come late June and July.