Cubs Skid Hits Five

One bad inning is all it really came down to for the Cubs. Scott Feldman was following his recent excellent form through three, but the powerful Reds offense pulled the Cubs righty’s head back down from the clouds in the fourth. Joey Votto got the home team on the board with a one out solo shot. With two outs, Feldman got squeezed on a potential inning ending strikeout and ended up walking instead. The Cubs starter then gave up a RBI single before hanging a breaking ball mashed for a three run homer. Just like that the Reds hung a five spot on a starting pitcher that had come into the game hot.

May 12, 2013; Washington, D.C., USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Scott Feldman (46) pitches in the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Darwin Barney cashed in a RISP with a sac fly in the top of the second to get the Cubs off to a good start offensively. Feldman continued the hot hitting by Cubs pitchers with a 3-2 count homer of his own, putting the visitors up 3-0 at the time. Relievers James Russell and Hector Rondon were able to hold down the home team for a while, allowing the Cubs to creep closer to 5-4 thanks to a Luis Valbuena RBI single after Ryan Sweeney had doubled.

Unfortunately Rondon served up a two run jack to Brandon Phillips in the bottom of the eighth and with Reds closer Aroldis Chapman coming in for the save, the Cubs night was pretty much over despite getting two on base in the form of Scott Hairston single and a Starlin Castro walk.

The Cubs have now dropped five games in a row and have quickly fallen back behind the Brewers to have last place in the NL Central all to themselves. The North Siders will send Travis Wood to the mound against his former mates in a bid to snap the skid.