The Cubs almost pulled off another ugly win yesterday, but ultimately ended up falling short at the hands of a nice catch by Reds outfielder Jay Bruce and an error by Kris Bryant late in the game.
Jason Hammel had a rough start but battled through five innings while giving up four runs (two earned) and seven hits. Hammel isn’t going to be perfect every time out, and yesterday he didn’t have his usual pinpoint command (he walked three).
Yet, the Cubs were inches away from winning. Starlin Castro tied the game in the 6th inning with a two-run homer.