The Chicago Cubs’ six-game winning streak ended with a 5-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds in Sunday’s series finale at Wrigley Field.
The Reds jumped ahead with a three-run first inning, taking advantage of an error by first baseman Kris Bryant that extended the inning and allowed them to score a pair of unearned runs off Jake Arrieta.
Arrieta gave up five runs (two earned) on six hits in 3⅔ innings with three strikeouts and four walks.
Meanwhile, a Cubs lineup depleted by injuries wasn’t able to generate much offense. Reds starter Tyler Mahle carried a perfect game into the fifth before a leadoff walk by Ian Happ and a single from Willson Contreras created the Cubs’ first rally of the day.
But the bottom of the Cubs lineup was filled with reserves and fill-ins for the team’s plethora of injured players, and Mahle was able to strike out the side to escape unscathed.
The Cubs had been red-hot in May even as their list of injuries continues to stack up. David Bote hit the injured list before Sunday’s game, making him the 11th Cubs player on the IL — and that doesn’t include first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who missed his fifth straight game with a back injury.
