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CINCINNATI -- The glow of Scott Feldman's first career home run didn't last very long.

What tarnished it left him and manager Dale Sveum somewhat frustrated.

The Cubs' right-hander gave Chicago a 3-0 lead with a two-run homer in the second inning. He gave it up by throwing a hanging curveball on a full count with two outs to catcher Ryan Hanigan with pitcher Bronson Arroyo on deck. Hanigan capitalized with a three-run homer to left field that capped Cincinnati's five-run fourth inning and helped send the Cubs to a 7-4 loss before a sellout crowd of 40,716 -- many of them, as usual, Chicago fans -- at Great American Ball Park.

"That was a really bonehead pitch," said Feldman (4-4), who saw his personal winning streak end at four over his previous five starts. "With the pitcher on deck, I threw the one pitch he can hit for a three-run homer. That one stings a little bit."

Sveum lamented how close Feldman was to having a very satisfactory outcome for himself and the Cubs, who saw their losing streak reach a season-high five games while dropping a season-worst 11 games below .500.

"He was one pitch away from having a good outing -- a 3-2 hanging curveball with the pitcher coming up," Sveum said. "That was a bad mistake at the wrong time in a situation where he didn't even have to throw a strike."

Feldman, who made only five plate appearances while spending all or parts of his previous eight seasons in the American League with the Texas Rangers, rolled through the first three innings, needing 34 pitches and facing only 10 batters. Feldman, a left-handed batter, capped Chicago's three-run second with a 366-foot shot into the right-field seats for what he said was the first homer of his professional career.

"It felt good," he said. "Now it doesn't feel like I hit a homer at all, but it felt good at the time. I could go the rest of my career without a home run if it means we win games."

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CINCINNATI – Here's a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 7-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday at Great American Ball Park.

How it happened: Scott Feldman strengthened the case against the designated hitter, but it didn't help him overcome a disastrous fourth inning. After needing just 34 pitches to negotiate the first three innings, the right-hander threw 40 in Cincinnati's five-run fourth. Joey Votto hit a one-out solo home run to extend his hitting streak to 13 games and Ryan Hanigan smacked Feldman's 35th pitch of the inning into the left-field seats for a three-run, go-ahead blast. Feldman, who made a total of five plate appearances while spending all or part of the previous eight seasons with the Texas Rangers, capped the Cubs' three-run second inning with his first career home run, a 366-foot shot into the right-field seats on a full count with two outs. Luis Valbuena had been hitless in nine at-bats before doubling with one out and scoring Chicago's first run on Darwin Barney's sacrifice fly. Valbuena added an RBI single in the eighth, but Brandon Phillips added insurance with a two-run homer off of Hector Rondon in the bottom of the inning.

What it means: The Cubs' losing streak reached a season-high five games, and they slipped a season-worst 11 games below .500. Feldman's personal winning streak was snapped at four over his previous five starts.

Outside the box: Feldman's home run was the Cubs' first on the road in almost a month. Chicago hadn't hit a home run in six games covering two series since Dioner Navarro's solo shot in the ninth inning of the Cubs' 6-4 loss on April 28 at Miami.

Up next: Left-hander Travis Wood (4-2, 2.24 ERA) will try to snap the Cubs' losing streak and extend the personal streak of quality starts with which he has opened the season to 10 in a 3:10 p.m. CT game at his former home field, Great American Ball Park. Right-hander Homer Bailey (2-3, 3.09 ERA) is Cincinnati's scheduled starter. He is 5-2 with a 5.12 ERA in 10 career starts against Chicago.

CINCINNATI -- Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum was looking for a chance to give Alfonso Soriano a day off. With Bronson Arroyo scheduled to start for the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of their three-game series against Chicago at Great American Ball Park, Friday seemed like as good a day as any.

Not only did Soriano go into that game hitting a mere .225 (25-for-11) with two home runs and 11 runs batted in against right-handed pitchers this season, he is hitting just .200 (10-for-50) in his career against the veteran Cincinnati right-hander.

"You just pick a day to give him off," Sveum said before the game.

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This week Chicago Cubs closer Kevin Gregg answers the mail. Gregg, who was picked up off waivers for his second stint with the Cubs, is 6 for 6 in save opportunities going into Friday's game. He answers your questions:

What would you say is the biggest adjustment you've made between your two stints with the Cubs? -- Topher (Bourbonnais, Ill.)
What gets lost in the mix last time I was here (in 2009) I had one bad outing early but then threw well in May, June and July. But I was coming off knee surgery and was supposed to be limited in the amount of games I was in, and I ended up with 74 games. They were guessing 50-55 games was about the maximum. So there were some physical things I couldn't overcome that I tried to play through and it just didn't work out for me. I'm healthy now.

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ESPNChicago.com's Jesse Rogers takes your Cubs questions during a live chat at noon CT Friday. Click here to submit your questions.

PITTSBURGH -- Before the Chicago Cubs lost 4-2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon, manager Dale Sveum sounded like a man getting frustrated with some of his lineup issues.

After the loss he seemed to direct some of that frustration to the team's $52 million offseason signing, Edwin Jackson. He had little command on the mound, giving up four runs to the Pirates in the first two innings while Pittsburgh completed a series sweep.

"(He) seems to be not coming out with a whole lot of conviction early in games," Sveum said. "There wasn't a whole lot of life coming out of that arm today."

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PITTSBURGH -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday:

How it happened: Before the rains came, the Pirates jumped all over starter Edwin Jackson, who once again wasn't sharp. Jackson gave up a pair of runs -- on six hits -- in each of the first two innings, raising his ERA back over 6.00. Most were hard hit balls as Travis Snider, Andrew McCutchen and Michael McKendry had the runs batted in. The Cubs got on the board in the fourth inning when an Anthony Rizzo ground out drove in David DeJesus. Then the downpour came causing a one hour, 47 minute delay and knocking both starters out of the contest. After play resumed the Cubs got one run closer in the seventh when pinch-hitter Ryan Sweeney drove in Welington Castillo. But that's as close as the Cubs got.

What it means: The Cubs got swept out of Pittsburgh, scoring just six runs in the three-game series. Games 2 and 3 were defined by getting down early and not getting timely hitting late while Game 1 fell apart due to another bullpen meltdown after a great season debut by Matt Garza. As usual, the Cubs played just well enough to be in the games but not well enough to win any of them. It's the Cubs' 40th game out of 46 decided by four runs or less and 28th decided by two runs or less. They dropped to 10 games below .500 at 18-28.

Jackson regresses: Getting hit like he did in the first two innings didn't give his team a good chance to win the game, and that's always a desire of any starting pitcher. He remains the biggest disappointment of any offseason acquisition.

What's next: The Cubs' road trip continues on Friday in Cincinnati when Scott Feldman tries to end a four-game losing streak. He opposes Bronson Arroyo at 6:10 p.m. CT.

PITTSBURGH -- Count Chicago Cubs pitcher -- and former football player Jeff Samardzija -- as another person who will miss Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.

Urlacher announced his retirement on Wednesday, after 13 years in the NFL, the same day Samardzija threw seven innings of one-run ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates. But the news of Urlacher's retirement didn't escape Samardzija.

"What a perfect guy to have in that spot on that team," Samardzija said. "I was always a fan of his, it's a sad day."

Samardzija grew up in northern Indiana and was an All-American receiver at Notre Dame, so he followed the Bears and Urlacher from the beginning of his career to the end.

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PITTSBURGH -- Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum has seen enough -- at least when a left-hander is opposing his team. He might be ready to make some changes after back-to-back losses against southpaws dropping the Cubs record against left-handers to 4-10 this season.

"I'll tell you the truth, I'm thinking about it now," Sveum said Thursday morning before the series finale with the Pittsburgh Pirates. "Just to see what happens. It's kind of gotten to the point."

The only question might be what took so long? The Cubs have been abysmal all season against lefties.

Sveum has made a habit of sitting David DeJesus, Nate Schierholtz and Luis Valbuena against lefties but with little success. Schierholtz's replacement, Scott Hairston, is hitting .089 against left-handed pitching and between Dave Sappelt -- now in the minors -- and Julio Borbon, center fielders not named DeJesus have a .212 average. It's not nearly good enough against some good left-handed pitching.

"These guys are the top of the line," Sveum said of Wandy Rodriguez, Francisco Liriano and others. "That's how good left-handed pitching is in all of baseball now. There's some quality, quality left-handed starters that are pitching and doing well against a lot of people."

So what can Sveum do? Dipping down to the minors for a right-handed bat doesn't seem like an option.

"We had Sappelt, that didn't work out too well," Sveum said.

It means other lefty hitters -- besides Borbon -- should see playing time against lefty pitchers. DeJesus, Schierholtz and particularly Ryan Sweeney have had much better at-bats -- and in some cases better success -- than their replacements.

And then there are the everyday players, against lefties or righties. The biggest disappointment has to be the right-handed Starlin Castro. He struck out with the bases loaded and one out against Liriano in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Pirates.

"I hit the same, stay aggressive, whoever is pitching," Castro said. "He threw nasty pitches. I never change my approach."

Castro is hitting just .217 against left-handed pitching and his slugging percentage is just .283. No matter who Sveum puts out there the main guys need better at-bats against the southpaws in the league.

"The bottom line is our core players have to do the job too," Sveum said.

A new lineup against lefties will have to wait until next week as the Cubs aren't scheduled to see one until then.

PITTSBURGH -- Even before spring training, (Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum talked about the organization needing more left-handed hitting. They’ve acquired it to some extent.

But the problem with that notion is what to do when a left-handed starter is on the mound for the opposition. Could the Cubs be too left-handed?

They went down to defeat yet again against a southpaw on Wednesday, just as they did on Tuesday. This time it was Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano who shut them down in a 1-0 final.

“We just can’t seem to do absolutely anything against a left-handed starter,” a frustrated Sveum said after the game.

The Cubs dropped to 4-10 in games against left-handed starters, and in most of those affairs -- win or lose -- they’ve done little at the plate.

“Today you have to tip your cap to Liriano,” Darwin Barney said. “He kept you off-balance.”

We’ve heard that from Cubs before, especially Sveum. How many great left-handers are there anyway?

He applauded Wandy Rodriguez both on Tuesday and in the team’s second game of the season when he shut them down. Then there was Derek Holland of the Texas Rangers and Madison Baumgarten of the San Francisco Giants. The list goes on and on. Sveum worried about his right-handed hitters against right-handed pitchers this spring, but it’s been the lefties that have killed them.

The Cubs did have one threat -- a bases-loaded, no-one out situation in the third inning, with the top of the order coming up.

“That’s the song and dance,” Sveum said after seeing three straight outs. “We get people on and we just can’t get them in.”

Julio Borbon has not looked good in the leadoff spot the last two nights. He was 1-for-8, with the hit coming on a dribbler to first that he beat out. Then there was the at-bat Wednesday with the bases loaded when he again dribbled one to first.

“When you have a guy like Liriano doing what he was doing, you have to make the most out of that,” Borbon said after the force out at home on the play.

But what is Borbon doing leading off two nights in a row against lefty starters anyway? The Cubs only have two right-handed outfielders, Alfonso Soriano and Scott Hairston, the latter of which is hitting below .100 against left-handed pitching. The mix just doesn’t feel right.

“Whenever you don’t do the job, you want the at-bats to be better,” Sveum said. “We were ahead in the count in all three cases and let the bat get away from us.”

The last four Cubs losses have been by one run. Clutch hitting has escaped them against lefties and righties all season, and a .287 on-base percentage against lefties is as mediocre as it gets. Starlin Castro had one of those at-bats with the bases loaded and failed. Anthony Rizzo had the tying run on base several times Wednesday but couldn’t get it done against a lefty either.

At some point there has to be a breaking point for the starting staff that has pitched so well.

“Take it with a grain of salt,” Jeff Samardzija said. “You can only control what you can control.”

Against lefties this year, the Cubs haven’t controlled much.

Quotable

“That’s the problem. We’re relying on our pitchers to drive runs in.” -- Sveum, only half-kidding about the Cubs offense.

“It’s just the way the game goes sometimes. Other times you get a win and give up five runs.” Samardzija, on tough-luck losses.

Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs’ 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday:

How it happened: The Pirates scored their lone run in the first on back-to-back hits with two outs by Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones. But Jeff Samardzija shut down the Bucs down for the next six innings. Francisco Liriano did one better, going seven without giving up a run for Pittsburgh. The Cubs really threatened just once after an error in the third inning loaded the bases with none out. Julio Borbon hit into a fielder’s choice, Starlin Castro struck out and Anthony Rizzo flew out. Rizzo struck out with the tying run on third in the eighth. Then Darwin Barney popped up with the tying and lead runs on base in the ninth inning. Liriano retired nine in a row in the middle innings and gave up just two hits while striking out nine.

What it means: It’s another tough-luck loss for a Cubs starter. Unlike Tuesday, the bullpen didn’t blow this game; the offense did. The missed chances in the third inning are a microcosm of Chicago’s season on offense: no clutch hitting. Even a fly ball would have sufficed, but seeing Castro strike out in that situation is all too familiar.

Outside the box: The Cubs dropped to 6-12 in one-run games this year, after playing their 39th of 45 games decided by four runs or fewer. ... Castro’s average with the bases loaded in his career dropped to .225.

What’s next: The Cubs try to avoid the sweep on Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh when Edwin Jackson opposes Jeanmar Gomez.

PITTSBURGH -- Is there anything the Chicago Cubs' starting staff can’t do? Along with compiling a sparkling 3.42 ERA through nearly two months of the season, they’re getting it done at the plate.

Cubs pitchers are No. 1 in the National League in slugging (.307) and OPS (.496) and rank fourth in batting (.177) and third in on-base percentage (.189). And they’re doing things in May that haven’t happened in a long time.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, their eight extra-base hits and 13 runs batted in through Wednesday are the most in any one month since, get this, the Cubs in September 1971, when they knocked in 14 and had 10 extra-base hits. There’s a good chance that record will be broken before June comes around.

“You’re always surprised when these guys are able to hit, but you forget they work hard at it and they’re good athletes along with it,” closer Kevin Gregg said Wednesday about his pitching teammates.

Second baseman Darwin Barney agreed.

“It’s fun to watch them help their cause,” he said. “They get excited about it. It’s everyone’s dream to be a pitcher and hit. [Pitchers are] expected to get out, so you can go up there hacking.”

To put their month at the plate in further perspective, 19 pitchers in the National League have at least two runs batted in, and the Cubs employ five of them, according to data compiled by ESPN Stats & Information. Their OPS for May is a whopping .947; next are the Los Angeles Dodgers hurlers at .500. Cubs pitchers have nine more RBIs than the San Francisco Giants pitchers, who rank second this month.

“I was joking around the other day: We should just let them hit the whole game for themselves,” outfielder Ryan Sweeney said.

Players were shaking their heads in the clubhouse Wednesday after seeing Matt Garza hit a two-run double the night before -- in his first at-bat in 10 months.

“I couldn’t fall behind,” Garza joked. “These other five guys, man ... it was a lot of time in the cage. Just want to be a complete player.”

So the question arose, who’s the best hitting pitcher on the team?

“[Jeff] Samardzija is fun to watch, because he’s got power and what kind of athlete he is,” Gregg said. “I expect a lot out of him. He actually is thinking about it as he goes up there and how he’s going to approach it.”

Several players concurred about Samardzija, but not all.

“That’s a tough question because [Travis] Wood is swinging the back good and [Scott] Feldman, too,” catcher Welington Castillo said.

For the record, after Garza’s 1-for-2 night, it is Wood whose batting average (.263) is the most respectable. But Feldman’s four RBIs lead all pitchers.

Still, it’s Wood who got the most votes.

“He’s the best hitting pitcher,” manager Dale Sveum said. “He’s the most consistent, always has been.”

What do the pitchers say? Not much. They don’t want to jinx it. Even when pushed, they were noncommittal.

“I would say either Samardzija, Edwin Jackson or Woody,” Feldman said.

“I don’t know. It might be a coin toss,” Jackson added.

Maybe the best authority on the subject is hitting coach James Rowson. He’s had a front-row seat for all the raking.

“Right now, take your pick,” Rowson said, laughing. “They’re fun to watch right now.

“In all honesty, probably Travis Wood. He’s a hitter that pitches.”

It might not be straight jealousy, but the position players are starting to envy the pitchers, who don’t mind hearing it from their teammates. It means they’re impressing guys who hit for a living.

“They’re yelling at us, saying, ‘It’s that easy, huh?’” Jackson said. “It’s not like we’re getting pointless hits, either. We’re getting big hits.”

Maybe Barney summed it up best. You don’t want to be shown up by a pitcher at the plate. He should know; they hit right behind him in the order.

“It’s kind of funny when you’re hitting eighth and they’re hitting behind you and you’re struggling,” Barney said, laughing. “Sometimes it’s like, maybe I should bunt guys over for them.”

Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney talks with ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers about his 4-for-4 night on Tuesday and his recent surge at the plate.



Click here for more audio from ESPN Chicago.

PITTSBURGH -- Chicago Cubs reliever Shawn Camp has been placed on the disabled list with a sprain in his right big toe, the team announced Wednesday.

"I guess it's been bothering him for about a month," manager Dale Sveum said before the Cubs played the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night. "He got treatment on Sunday to start the process, re-aggravated it and the inflammation got too bad. It was getting tough to push off the mound."

Sveum said the Cubs would have considered putting him on the disabled list before designating reliever Michael Bowden for assignment in order to activate Matt Garza from the disabled list. But the team didn't know the seriousness of the problem until it was too late.

"He came for treatment and we didn't know it was that extensive," Sveum said. "But that would have been the obvious move."

Bowden has to clear waivers before he can be reassigned. The Cubs recalled pitcher Rafael Dolis from Triple-A Iowa to take Camp's place. Camp gave up a grand slam to pinch-hitter Travis Snider in the Cubs' 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.

He appeared in 20 games with a 7.56 ERA after leading the league in appearances last season with 80. Sveum was asked if the injury could be a reason for his struggles this season.

"When you can't push off and it's that painful, you're going to lose something in your legs," Sveum said. "We have to get it calmed down."

Dolis has appeared in two games this season for the Cubs, pitching a scoreless 1 2/3 innings.

Camp elected to go back to Chicago to rest his toe while the Cubs continue on their road trip.

PITTSBURGH -- Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum will stick with the same lineup Wednesday against another Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander.

Coming off a 5-4 loss to the Pirates and left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, the Cubs will face southpaw Francisco Liriano on Wednesday night.

That means Julio Borbon gets the nod in centerfield over Ryan Sweeney and David DeJesus while Scott Hairston starts in right for Nate Schierholtz. Borbon was 0 for 4 with a walk on Tuesday and is 1 for 7 against left-handed pitching this season while Sweeney is 3 for 8. Hairston is hitting .095 against left-handed pitching this season.

The Cubs rank 13th in the National League with a .296 on-base percentage against left-handed pitching, but their power numbers are mid-pack. Here is the entire lineup:

1. Borbon, CF
2. Starlin Castro, SS
3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
4. Alfonso Soriano, LF
5. Hairston, RF
6. Welington Castillo, C
7. Cody Ransom, 3B
8. Darwin Barney, 2B
9. Jeff Samardzija, P