Reds 12, Cubs 2: The Nothing Good Recap

Here's where you will usually find details and information and opinions on the previous day's Cubs game, in this case, a 12-2 Cubs loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

But I really don't have anything to say. So here's some blank space instead:

All right. It's kind of my job to write about these games, and I can't just leave this entire space blank, much as I'd like to. So I'm going to tell you that Cubs pitching was bad, Cubs defense was bad, and Cubs hitting was just above bad. This was the worst game the Cubs played all year and the only good thing about the entire evening was the weather, which was pleasant after a powerful thunderstorm blew by, just south of downtown Chicago, missing Wrigley Field entirely. (Too bad. A rainout would have been better than this mess.)

Matt Garza gave up three home runs; one of them (Todd Frazier's) barely made the basket in right-center field, but another (Xavier Paul's three-run blast that chased Garza and put the game away) was sent deep into the party patio in right field. Garza allowed nine runs, the most by any Cubs pitcher in nearly a year (Jeff Samardzija allowed nine to the Mets in this awful game June 27, 2012). Garza's ERA jumped to 6.26 and the three homers allowed in five-plus innings were more than he had given up in his 22⅓ innings combined previously this year.

The Cubs made four errors in the game; I calculated one unearned run in the Reds' six-run sixth, although the boxscore indicates all of them were earned, not that a run being earned or unearned in that inning made much of a difference. Mr. Garza most certainly did not impress the representatives of prospective future employers who might have been in attendance at Tuesday night's game.

After Hector Rondon finished off the sixth and threw a scoreless seventh -- probably his best multi-inning appearance of the year -- Zach Putnam came in and gave up this sequence: single, double, three-run homer. Here's why that happened:

#Cubs Zach Putnam had to leave game because elbow felt "on fire." He's had problems with bone spurs in past. Will have MRI on Wed

— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) June 12, 2013

I'm assuming that this will result in a DL move for Putnam; ICYMI, the Cubs acquired reliever Henry Rodriguez from the Nationals, a move announced right about the time Tuesday night's blowout was ending, with Eduardo Sanchez designated for assignment (now there's a roster Jenga move if ever I saw one). Rodriguez is likely going to wind up taking Putnam's 25-man roster spot.

There really isn't a whole lot else to say about this game; as noted, it was by far the Cubs' worst performance of 2012. The Reds have been completely dominant over the Cubs for the last three-plus seasons and have now won 11 straight games at Wrigley Field. Just for amusement, have a look at the boxscore of the last Cubs win over the Reds at Wrigley. Look who started that game!

The two teams will meet again Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley -- weather permitting.