3 takeaways from weekend set vs. Reds

CHICAGO -- The last time the Reds came into Wrigley Field and swept the Cubs, the North Siders were in the early stages of a rebuild and Cincinnati was closing in on a Wild Card berth.

On Sunday afternoon, the Cubs were dealt an 8-5 defeat to the Reds, who departed the Friendly Confines after brooming their division rivals in Chicago for the first time since August 2013. In the process, the Cubs slipped to fifth place in the National League Central in a season that started with October baseball as the end goal.

“It's pretty frustrating,” Cubs starter Drew Smyly said. “We're just not really clicking right now, not putting all three phases of the game together at the same time. It was an ugly weekend for us. The Reds came in and beat us up.”

Here are three takeaways from the latest loss:

1. Abbreviated start from Smyly
Smyly has been a source of consistency for the rotation this season, but the lefty bowed out of Sunday’s ballgame after 4 2/3 innings. It marked the first time this season Chicago had four starts in a row consisting of fewer than five frames.

"The Reds are just a team that, they just grind people,” Smyly said. “They're not going to slug you and hit a bunch of homers, but they don't chase, they take their singles, they steal bases. I mean, you saw it all weekend.”

Smyly, Justin Steele and Marcus Stroman have led the Cubs’ rotation by combining for a 3.05 ERA and averaging nearly 5 2/3 innings per start. Even so, Steele and Smyly faced the Reds this weekend and allowed a combined 11 runs on 17 hits (no home runs) over 8 1/3 innings.

In the process, Smyly’s run of nine consecutive starts with no more than two runs allowed came to a close. This also marked the left-hander’s first loss at Wrigley Field since Aug. 22 last season.

2. Bullpen woes continue
Cubs manager David Ross summed up the reality facing his bullpen after Sunday’s loss: “I don't think anyone's actually kind of defined their roles.”

Michael Fulmer and Brad Boxberger opened as the main late-inning options, but Fulmer has struggled and Boxberger is currently on the injured list. Keegan Thompson was supposed to be a key weapon, but he’s in Triple-A Iowa trying to get back on track. Brandon Hughes has been on and off the IL while dealing with a knee issue.

It has all added up to Ross mixing and matching and searching for the right combination for different situations.

“Whoever's pitching best, we're trying to give them the leverage innings,” Ross said. “We tried to leverage those things early, and we lost on the backside. Right now, fifth, sixth inning, we’re trying to kind of get some arms in there.”

With Sunday’s game in a 3-3 deadlock, Ross called upon Jeremiah Estrada with two on and two outs in the fifth inning. The hard-throwing righty gave up an RBI double and issued two walks (one bringing in a run). Hughes gave up a two-run homer in the sixth and Michael Rucker yielded a run in the seventh, and the bullpen’s ERA climbed to 8.05 over the last 14 games.

3. Falling short in 'clutch' scenarios
The Cubs came through with two hits with runners in scoring position on Sunday afternoon. Both came with two outs, too. They each happened to be a home run off the bat of slugger Patrick Wisdom.

“It’s tough when you come out on the losing end,” said Wisdom, who now boasts 14 home runs on the season.

Overall, Chicago finished 2-for-10 with RISP, including a crucial missed opportunity with the bases loaded in the sixth. Yan Gomes popped out over the infield and Nico Hoerner grounded out to short to strand all three runners. While the offense put up five runs (all via Wisdom’s homers), it was a glimpse into what has ailed the club in their recent slide.

The Cubs’ production with RISP is currently in the middle of the pack in MLB (.731 OPS and 99 wRC+), but that does not tell the whole story. Chicago had an .870 OPS and 137 wRC+ with RISP through April 21, but posted a .681 OPS and 84 wRC+ in the next 32 games, entering Sunday.

“That’s what happens when you’re going through a tough stretch,” Cubs left fielder Ian Happ said. “It was really really good early and, at some point, it had to flip a little bit. It’s flipped pretty hard on us.”