By Hal McCoy
It was one of those many night when the Cincinnati Reds not only couldn’t find hits, they acted as if they couldn’t even spell the word hit.
For four innings Friday night in Great American Ball Park, they had no hits and finished with four singles during a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
They have lost eight of their last 12.
They were facing left-hander Matthew Boyd and the Cubs had lost six of his previous eight starts.
But he held the Reds hitless for four innings and gave up two runs and two hits for his five innings as the Cubs moved within a half-step of clinching a post-season playoff spot.
For his second straight start, Reds starter Nick Lodolo pitched seven innings and his reward was another ‘L’ next to his name, a 3-6 record.
He gave up three runs and six hits but once again didn’t get the offensive support he needed.
In his previous start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, his seven innings consisted of three runs and four hits in a 4-1 loss.
He gave up a run in the second and a run in the fifth to fall behind, 2-0, Saturday
But the Reds put together two of their four hits to tie it, 2-2, in the bottom of the fifth — run-scoring singles by JJ Bleday and Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Bleday did not get an RBI on his single. Eugenio Suarez walked to open the inning. When Bleday singled to right, Suarez trudged toward third.
Shortstop Dansby Swanson’s relay throw to third was wild and Suarez scored on the error. Hayes then singled home Bleday.
The 2-2 tie last only as long as the Cubs came to bat in the sixth. With one out, Michael Busch ambused Lodolo’s first pitch, an 81 miles an hour dangling curveball, and crushed it 417 feet deep into the right field moon deck.
That made it 3-2 and the Cubs tacked on a run in the eighth against Pierce Johnson and Dansby Swason homered in the ninth against Zach.
McCambrey.
Of Lodolo’s performance, Reds manager Tito Francona said, “Seven innings, three runs. I think you’d sign up for that.
“He probably left a breaking ball where he shouldn’t have to Busch (home run),” he added. “He didn’t strikeout very many (one), but he pitched very well.”
Swanson ’s homer was his 19th, one shy of becoming the seventh Cub with 20 or more home runs.
Their leader, of course, is Pete Crow-Armstrong with 44 and he is one hitter the Reds have put to rest in the first two games of the three-game set.
He was 0 for 5 with three strikeouts and stranded nine teammates during the Reds 6-4 win Friday.
And he was 0 for 5 Saturday with a strikeout — 0 for 10 with four strikeouts in the first two games.
But the Cubs didn’t need him Saturday.
The Reds had one legitimate opportunity Saturday when it was 4-2 in the eighth inning.
Dane Myers singled with two outs and Elly De La Cruz walked, bringing up Sal Stewart and his 32 homers and 111 RBI.
Chicago manager Craig Counsell brought in right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn and he barged ahead 0-and-2. Stewart worked the count to 3-and-2, then Zeferjahn struck him out on a sweeper outside the strike zone.
“Yeah, that guy (Zeferjahn) was throwing about 99, then he broke off a breaking ball,” said Francona. “That’s tough sleddin’ sometimes. Sal is definitely the guy you want up there in those situations.”
The defeat dropped the Reds record against National League Central rivals to 19-32, the main reason they are at the bottom of the division looking up at four teams.
With seven games remaining, the Reds are four games behind the fourth place St. Louis Cardinals.
The Reds finish the series against the Cubs Sunday afternoon, their last home game before finishing the sad, sad season on the road with three games in Atlanta and three in Toronto.