CHICAGO _ Yu Darvish has made few mistakes this season.
But against Cincinnati Reds ace Trevor Bauer on Wednesday night, Darvish had no margin for error.
Darvish tried to fool Mike Moustakas with a 72 mph curve in the first inning, and Moustakas whacked it for a three-run home run that was the difference in the Chicago Cubs' 3-0 loss that cut their lead in the National League Central to 2{ games over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Bauer held the Cubs to one hit through seven innings, a single to center by Victor Caratini to lead off the fifth. Caratini was hitless in seven at-bats against Bauer with five strikeouts before his single.
Bauer (4-3) avenged a 3-0 loss to Darvish and the Cubs on Aug. 29 with a 10-strikeout, no-walk performance that dropped his ERA to 1.74, ahead of Darvish (1.77) but trailing two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom (1.69).
Bauer allowed three hits in 7? innings and improved to 5-1 lifetime with a 1.13 ERA against the Cubs, who were without Kris Bryant because of a left elbow bruise suffered Tuesday night when he got hit by a pitch.
Bauer, who served up a pair of home runs to Anthony Rizzo in the Aug. 29 loss, didn't allow a ball to reach the outfield through four innings and never lacked confidence while quieting the Cubs bats and gradually silencing their dugout.
He and Ian Happ exchanged stares after Bauer struck out Happ to end the third.
The Cubs dugout also expressed its displeasure with plate umpire Chris Segal on a called strike to Kyle Schwarber in the fourth.
Bauer ended the at-bat by striking out Schwarber and bellowing before walking off the mound.
After getting Willson Contreras to pop to second to end the sixth, Bauer slugged his chest as he crossed the foul line.
Schwarber flied to left to end the seventh, and Bauer waddled off the mound.
He was pulled with two out in the eighth after allowing two hits and glanced at the Cubs dugout before walking off the field.
Darvish (7-2) entered the game with a seven-game winning streak and an NL-leading 1.44 ERA. But the Reds _ whom Darvish blanked over six innings on Aug. 29 _ forced him to labor through a 30-pitch first inning.
Walks to Nicholas Castellanos and Jesse Winker doomed Darvish as Moustakas properly struck a breaking pitch deep into the bleachers in right-center.
The three runs were the most Darvish has allowed in an inning this season.
Darvish also issued a season-high three walks, the most he has allowed since June 5, 2019, against the Colorado Rockies.
After Shogo Akiyama's infield hit with two out in the first, Darvish didn't allow another hit while retiring 16 of the last 17 batters he faced and finishing with nine strikeouts.
But Wednesday's game showed that the Cubs cannot rely solely on the pitching of Darvish and the offensive production of Happ.
Happ struck out three times against Bauer and is hitless in his last nine at-bats with six strikeouts.
