CHICAGO -- When an offense has sputtered like the Reds in recent weeks, the last thing it needed was a big deficit to try and battle back from. But on Sunday vs. the Cubs, that's exactly what happened, and it came quickly.

Starting pitcher Chase Anderson threw 37 pitches and retired only one of his seven batters in the bottom of the first inning while giving up five runs. That set the tone for the remainder of the day at Wrigley Field as Cincinnati was handed an 8-1 defeat to lose all six games on its road trip through Pittsburgh and Chicago.

"Overall, shoot, that can’t happen out there," Anderson said. "You want to come out there and be that stopper. I’ve done it before in my career a lot. I wanted to go out there and provide innings for the team and give us a chance to win. I didn’t do that."

Now 60-99, the only way to avoid the second 100-loss season in franchise history is for the Reds to sweep the final three games from the Cubs when they shift the series to Great American Ball Park on Monday. The club single-season record for losses is 101, set in 1982.

The Reds opened this season with a franchise-worst 3-22 record and are close to equaling that floor again to end the 2022 campaign. They are 4-19 over their last 23 games. In between those rough stretches was a longer period of more respectable play and a 53-58 record.

"It has been a tough road trip. It has been a tough stretch," Reds manager David Bell said. "We are looking forward to getting home. It would be great to just finish strong."

Cincinnati's rotation entered Sunday with a 3.80 ERA during the previous five losses, but this was the only time its starter didn't give the team a good chance. Anderson gave up a broken-bat leadoff double lofted to short right field by Zach McKinstry before things went off the rails.

Anderson hit the next batter, Willson Contreras, and walked three more hitters. He also allowed Franmil Reyes' RBI single that made it a 3-0 game. After the No. 7 batter P.J. Higgins walked to load the bases for a second time, reliever Fernando Cruz took over, and it became an impromptu bullpen day for the Reds. Cruz allowed No. 9 hitter Nelson Velazquez's two-run double for a 5-0 Cubs lead.

"My body was going, my arm was lagging behind, and I wasn’t able to execute," Anderson said. "That’s what it comes down to, execution. The previous four or five starts, I’ve been able to execute overall. Today, I wasn’t able to execute, and that’s the difference for sure."

The Reds have not scored five runs in a game since Sept. 21 vs. the Red Sox. In the 10 games since, they are averaging 1.8 runs while batting .171 as a team. Cubs starter Marcus Stroman allowed five hits but worked six scoreless innings. Chicago pitching held the Reds to three runs total over the three-game series.

"Their starting pitching has been pretty good for them, especially the second half," Bell said. "Tough hitting environment. You get down early in a game like that, it makes it tough. Our bullpen did a pretty nice job getting us through the game without using everyone. But after the first inning, it was tough to be able to come back and get back into that game."

Anderson, who was signed on Aug. 27 after he served as a reliever at Triple-A for the Tigers and Rays, had been mostly solid for the Reds. He came in with a 2.18 ERA in his five September starts. The right-hander, who will be a free agent, would like to return next season.

"Not the way I wanted to end, but hopefully I’ll get an inning or two out of the bullpen Tuesday or Wednesday depending on how I feel and finish off on a strong note," Anderson said. "I feel like I’ve pitched well for this team the last month and I want to finish on a strong note, obviously for myself and for this team, and maybe for next year too."