Afternoon Box Score: Cubs Mauled By Reds

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 2, 2010 9:40PM

For a time, it looked like the Cubs were heading towards another of their trademark losses: great pitching undermined by awful hitting in a one- or two-run loss. But, no, instead, it turned into a blowout loss as the Reds ran away with the game 12-0 and, to be honest, we're not sure which one is worse. It was a pitcher's duel for the first six innings as Ryan Dempster initially looked sharp while the Cubs could only muster a pair of hits. But everything came unraveled on the mound in the seventh inning when the Reds exploded for nine runs, due in part to six walks Cubs pitchers gave up that inning. Meanwhile, the Cubs still couldn't muster any sort of response as they lost 8 of their last 11 games; they've only scored 20 runs over that span but 8 of those runs came in one win over the Angels and they've scored 0 or 1 runs in 6 of those games. With Carlos Silva's recent struggles and the offense absolutely putrid, here's a suggestion for whatever Cub gets the token selection to the All-Star Game on Sunday when the teams are announced: don't go. To be honest, looking at the roster, we can't think of a single player worthy of the honor. If you care, the Cubs look to find a new way to lose again tomorrow when they face off against the Reds once more (12:05 p.m., CSN).