Reds Lose 12th Straight To Playoff Bound Cubs

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The 107th rookie start and 61st in a row was handled by John Lamb against the playoff bound Cubs.

Lamb comes into the game 1-4 and has been plagued by one bad inning or one bad pitch..

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Austin Jackson hit the one bad pitch in the third inning for a three-run home run that followed one-out walks to Addison Russell and Dexter Fowler. Lamb rebounded to strike out Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo but the damage was done. The stage was set for a 5-3 Cubs victory, a sweep that gave the Chicago team a 13-6 season series record against the Reds..

Jason Hammel started for the Cubs and pitched around a leadoff double by Jason Bougeois in the first inning, and two on, one-out jams in the third and fourth.

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Anthony Rizzo hit a ground rule double to score Fowler with the fourth Cub run to chase Lamb after 4 2/3 innings. Chris Denorfia's infield single scored Jackson to make if 5-0.

Brandon Phillips bonehead play cost the Reds a potential run in the sixth. He led off with the 300th double of his career. Phillips then stole his 22nd base of the season to put himself on thirdbase with no outs.  Todd Frazier hit a fly to short left that thirdbaseman Javier Baez fielded.  Phillips bluffed going home with no one covering third. He wandered down the line and slipped halfway between third and home and was tagged out to complete an improbable double play.

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The Reds got on the scoreboard against Fernando Rodney.  Eugenio Suarez and Tucker Barnhart singled to open the seventh.  Ramon Cabrera pinch hit and hit a potential double play ball to Russell at shortstop, who booted the ball for an error to load the bases. Bourgeois hit a slow roller to Russell, who shoveled the throw to Castro at second but Bourgeois beat the relay to first as Saurez scored.  Cubs' manager Joe Maddon summoned Clayton Richard from the bullpen to create the lefty-lefty matchup with Joey Votto, who singled up the middle to score Barnhart. Phillips singled off Russell's glove to drive in Bourgeois.  The three unearned runs brought the Reds to within two runs at 5-3.

Votto has reached base in each of his last 47 games. He has reached base in 142 of his 155 appearances.

Hector Rondon, the seventh Cub pitcher on the day, earned his 29th save in 33 chances.

Reds Have Labor Pains Bryan Price Craves A Win

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The Reds knew coming out of spring training that they had to stay healthy to compete.  The home schedule concludes today with the playoff bound Cubs in position to sweep.

That did not happen.from the beginning Devin Mesoraco, the starting catcher and projected cleanup hitter had a bad hip.  Homer Bailey made just two starts before it became necessary to operate on his elbow. Zack Cozart played in 53 games before his knee popped, requiring season-ending surgery.

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"We knew we had to stay healthy to compete," Price said. "When that didn't happen the guys we had as backups didn't pan out."

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The Reds fell out of the race and traded starting pitchers Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake, leaving the team with a stable full of young untested starting pitchers.

"We started to retool and it's been painful," Price said. "We have labor pains and the delivery of the baby won't be this year."

The Reds wanted to finish strong but after two nine-game losing streaks earlier in the season, the Reds are currently on an epic 11-game slide. The Reds last losing streak of 12 games was in September of 1993.

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'We're banged up right now," said Price before the game as he was waiting to see who was available for the starting lineup. Todd Frazier sat out on Wednesday with a tight achillies tendon.  Joey Votto was out with soreness around his shoulder blade.

"We know its ugly right now;" said Price after the 10-3 loss to the Cubs Wednesday night. "There is no satisfaction from playing this poorly."