Chicago Cubs: Team loses to Padres; losing streak hits four games

Coming off a sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Chicago Cubs’ losing ways continued into Memorial Day with a loss in San Diego.

One would think the reigning World Series champion Chicago Cubs would have little stress taking on a lowly San Diego Padres team. But, you’d be wrong.

A fourth-inning grand slam off Kyle Hendricks proved to be too much for an ice-cold Cubs’ offense that went a horrendous 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position Monday. Since departing Wrigley late last week, Chicago has failed time and time again to come up with big knocks.

With the loss, the team falls back to .500 at the 50-game mark. Still, thanks to a weak National League Central, the Cubs are just 1 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. It’s far too soon to even think about the postseason, given we’re still not quite to June, but it’s a good measuring stick.

Of particular difficulty has been the league’s top teams. We broke down Chicago’s struggles against top clubs this year – namely against the Dodgers, Red Sox and Yankees. On the flip side, if you want to win, you have to beat teams like the Padres – and you must do so consistently.

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Outside of the Cubs, headlines centered around the Bay Area. Washington came to town taking on the San Francisco Giants. When Hunter Strickland hit Bryce Harper with a fastball, the benches cleared in a brawl that won’t soon be forgotten.

In the American League, the Houston Astros pulled off one of the most impressive rallies in recent years. With their latest win, Houston increases its lead in the AL West to 10 1/2 games as May winds down.