If the North Siders continue down this dark path, they might see the Reds overtake them in the NL Central. The Cubs’ self-inflicted wounds have grown deeper to a dangerous extent. There’s not much hope to be had with a team constantly beating itself in games that are there for the taking.

Tale of the Tape
With Javier Assad on the mound, the Cubs were in good hands. Right out of the gate, the Reds were off balance with two strikeouts. Assad continues to show why he belongs in the rotation.

As Assad kept the Reds quiet for three innings, the Cubs took advantage with Ian Happ continuing his recent surge at the plate. A second-inning long ball gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead to start the scoring.

As usual, no lead is ever safe with the Cubs. The Reds evened things up in the fourth inning thanks to singles from Tyler Stephenson and Nick Martini. Those runs were the only blemishes on Assad’s outing.

The Cubs’ response came in the form of a bases-loaded by Ian Happ. Even with two outs, failing to capitalize on this situation marked another example of how unfortunate the Cubs’ season has played out to date.

After 5.1 innings, Assad’s day came to an end. He departed with the lead, leaving it up to the bullpen to keep things where they were. Drew Smyly did all he could before surrendering a tough two-run homer to Santiago Espinal. At that point, the Reds were in the driver’s seat.