“Everybody goes through these trials,” manager Joe Maddon said after Wednesday afternoon’s 5-3 loss . “I can’t connect a bunch of negative dots.”
The Cubs have now lost four of their last five series, and five of their last seven, looking like a team that needs an All-Star break, if not some reinforcements by the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
The Cubs didn’t need to use their sixth starter until July 6, a remarkable run of pitching health that begins to explain their 100-win pace but probably won’t last. That’s why Adam Warren – the swingman acquired from the New York Yankees in the Starlin Castro trade – returned from a tune-up at Triple-A Iowa to face a Reds lineup that still has Joey Votto and some interesting hitters.