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HOUSTON -- It’s getting so bad for the Cubs now that even their hustle is getting punished.

The Cubs lost their ninth consecutive Wednesday after Darwin Barney’s all-out hustle toward the right-field line only ended up knocking the ball from the glove of a sliding David DeJesus.

Instead of getting the third out and preserving a one-run lead for starter Jeff Samardzija in the fourth inning, the Astros scored two runs on what was ruled a triple for J.D. Martinez. They would be the only runs the Astros scored off Samardzija in an eventual 5-1 victory.

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HOUSTON – The Cubs’ losing streak reached nine Wednesday with a 5-1 defeat to the Houston Astros, the longest skid since a nine-gamer almost exactly 10 years ago (May 8-18, 2002).

How it happened: Jeff Samardzija pitched well and Reed Johnson gave the Cubs an early lead with a home run, but it was the same old story in yet another defeat. The Cubs couldn’t get out of their own way in this one as a hustling Darwin Barney managed only to knock the ball from the glove of a sliding David DeJesus in right field in the fourth inning. Two Astros runs scored on the play. The Cubs managed 10 hits, but none in the clutch yet again.

What it means: It wasn’t like the Cubs got bad pitching while being swept at Houston. Matt Garza did have a poor outing Monday, but Travis Wood was solid Tuesday and was backed nicely by the bullpen. Jeff Samardzija held up his end of the bargain Wednesday, although Rafael Dolis struggled. The solid starting pitching, at least, is the reversal of a recent trend, as the staff had logged a 5.68 ERA in the team’s past 12 games since May 10, second-highest in baseball.

Outside the box: The Cubs had gone 59 innings without a lead of any kind when Johnson put them on top 1-0 just two batters into Wednesday’s game. The last time they were ahead was last Wednesday when they were on top of the Phillies in the fourth inning. The Cubs have scored in just four of their past 47 innings, starting with the eighth inning Friday against the White Sox.

Off beat: Bonus points for knowing who was the last Cubs pitcher to win a game. As a matter of fact, he got the win in the past two Cubs’ victories. … Shawn Camp was the last winner when the Cubs topped the St. Louis Cardinals on May 14. A day earlier in Milwaukee he also picked up the victory. Since then, though, he is one of eight Cubs pitchers to be charged with a loss in the losing streak. Samardzija has lost two of the nine games.

Up next: After an off day Thursday, the Cubs will open a three-game series at Pittsburgh with Ryan Dempster (0-2, 2.28 ERA) taking on the Pirates’ A.J. Burnett (2-2, 4.78) in the 6:05 p.m. start from PNC Park.

Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts remains determined to work with Mayor Rahm Emanuel on renovations to Wrigley Field despite a controversy involving Rickets' father that drew the ire of Emanuel last week.

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As the Cubs endure an eight-game losing streak, ESPNChicago.com's Doug Padilla takes your questions during a live chat at noon Wednesday. Click here to submit your questions.

HOUSTON -- When an offensive highlight of the night is a double from the pitcher that didn’t even lead to a run, it was probably an effort not worthy of distinction.

The Cubs have now gone 59 consecutive innings without holding a lead. The last time they were on top was in the fourth inning last Wednesday at home against the Philadelphia Phillies.

In yet another game over the past week where the Cubs’ offense barely made a dent, Alfonso Soriano supplied the only run Tuesday with an impressive home run to left field.

Make that four home runs for Soriano over the past eight games. The bad news is that the Cubs have lost all eight of those games.

Doesn’t it figure that once one of the club’s power bats finally comes to life that everybody else goes into a slide, including Bryan LaHair, who now has one hit over his last 20 at-bats.

And then there is Starlin Castro, who struck out all four times he came to the plate, including once in the eighth inning with the tying run at third base and one out. His 31 strikeouts are now third most on the club behind sluggers Soriano (32) and LaHair (46). He has just four walks, or the same amount as Reed Johnson has in nearly two-thirds less at-bats.

“We just can’t seem to get anything going,” manager Dale Sveum said. “You get a guy at third and less than two outs and you get a couple of strikeouts. We just can’t get anything out of the ballpark. Soriano hit a solo shot but we just can’t seem to get that three-run shot.”

The Cubs are now batting .223 (51-for-229) with 20 runs over their last seven games after batting .277 (54-for-195) and scoring 29 runs over their five-game road trip to Milwaukee and St. Louis that ended last Tuesday.

Only Soriano is delivering now after not hitting a home run over the team’s first 30 games. He has driven in a run in eight of the team’s last 13 games.

“I started hitting homers but it’s not enough to win,” Soriano said. “It’s better to win games. I don’t care about my homers because I know I have been doing that for 12 years. The more important thing is to get a win. I don’t know what we have to do to win one game and hit more. We’re struggling not getting hits so we have to work more.”

Batting in the cleanup spot Tuesday, Soriano had a close up view from the on-deck circle of Castro’s four strikeouts.

“He’s just in his third year in the league so he’ll figure it out,” Soriano said. “That happened to him last year too. He had little struggles. It’s a long season and sometimes you have (struggles) one week or two weeks. But when you get out of your slump you become a better player. I hope when he gets out he will come out hot and be a better player.”

Soriano hopes that by everybody continuing to plug away, the offense can finally get in sync.

“I just try to do my job no matter if we’re struggling or not,” Soriano said. “If you’re young or a veteran, everybody has to do their job. I came here to play and try to do my job to make the team better and try to win.”

HOUSTON -- The Chicago Cubs lost their eighth consecutive game Tuesday and are now the owners of the worst winning percentage in baseball after dropping a 2-1 decision to the Houston Astros.

How it happened: Travis Wood gave up a home run and a double to the first two batters, but allowed no other hits over 5 2/3 innings. He did walk a batter in the sixth inning that came around to score the eventual winning run against Shawn Camp. Alfonso Soriano crushed a solo home run in the fourth inning, his fourth long ball over the team’s past four series.

What it means: Wood looks nothing like the pitcher who struggled in spring training, delivering two solid starts so far this season. He topped the three runs over six innings he allowed the Dodgers on May 6, by giving up two runs on just two hits over 5 2/3 innings Tuesday. The Cubs had not received anything close to this kind of outing when Chris Volstad was pitching, but the team has still lost all nine games in this spot of the rotation.

Outside the box: Sure the offense has struggled of late, but the pitching has been dealing with its own issues. Going back to May 10 (not counting Tuesday night’s game), Cubs pitchers had a combined 5.96 ERA over an 11-game span. That was the highest ERA in baseball over that stretch (the Rockies were second at 5.84). The starters had a 6.22 ERA over those 11 games while the bullpen was at 5.58.

Off beat: The between-inning “Kiss Cam” video board feature at most ballparks isn’t just for fans, as Alfonso Soriano proved Tuesday. After making an impressive sliding catch in left field on a sinking line drive from the Astros’ Jed Lowrie in the sixth inning, Soriano removed the ball from his glove and gave it a little smooch. It was all in a day’s work for Soriano, who also hit a home run while playing on knee that has been sore most of the season.

Up next: The Cubs will send right-hander Jeff Samardzija (4-2, 3.00 ERA) to the mound in Wednesday’s series finale. The Astros will counter with left-hander Wandy Rodriguez (3-4, 2.24) in the 7:05 p.m. start from Minute Maid Park.

As far as scary moments go, Friday’s events for Paul Konerko were right there at the top of his most frightening times in the game.

The White Sox captain was concerned about possible vision loss after getting hit in the head by Jeff Samardzija.

“In the first 20 seconds I had blurred vision and was a little worried,” Konerko said. “Once I realized it was skin that had swelled up over the eye and not the eye itself I was OK in my mind.”

Konerko missed the last two games of the Cubs series over the weekend as he waited for the swelling and bruising to subside around his left eye.

“It was definitely tough not to play those other two games with the wind blowing out 100 mph,” Konerko said. “You don’t want to miss those ones, but that’s the game we play -- sometimes you get hit and have to sit out.”

Konerko totally exonerated Samardzija for the pitch. The Cubs pitcher called Konerko in the Sox clubhouse on Saturday afternoon to see how he was recovering.

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HOUSTON -- The Chicago Cubs put catcher Welington Castillo on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, opening a roster spot for Travis Wood, who will start against the Houston Astros.

Castillo has been dealing with a sprained MCL in his right knee since Friday but hasn’t made enough progress with the injury.

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HOUSTON -- The Chicago Cubs, who have struggled against left-handed pitching all season, will give their right-handed hitting lineup another try Tuesday in an attempt to end a seven-game losing streak.

David DeJesus is the only left-handed hitter who will get a crack at Houston Astros left-handed starter J.A. Happ, who enters the game with a 4.96 ERA.

The Cubs have scored the least amount of runs against left-handers (21) than any other National League team, but they also have the fewest at-bats against left-handers. Their .225 batting average vs. lefties is 15th in the 16-team NL and their .291 slugging percentage is dead last.

DeJesus has been solid in the leadoff spot this season with a .367 on-base percentage, but he has just a .174 average against lefties this year with a .269 OBP.

DeJesus will lead off and play right field, followed by Reed Johnson (center field) and Starlin Castro (shortstop). Bryan LaHair, who has just one hit in his last 19 at-bats will get the day off and will be replaced in the cleanup spot by Alfonso Soriano (left field).

Joe Mather (third base) will bat fifth, followed by Jeff Baker (first base), Darwin Barney (second base), Blake Lalli (catcher) and Travis Wood (pitcher). For Lalli it will be his first career major-league start.

The hiring of Theo Epstein as club president marked a new era for the Chicago Cubs, but there was no chance that the change would manifest itself in the standings this year, and there is little chance that it will change anything next year.

The Cubs' problems are simply defined. They are probably about five or six young pitchers short of have a legitimate shot of contending. They are four or five players short among their position players, and those they do have -- Starlin Castro, Triple-A first baseman Anthony Rizzo -- need more development time.

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STREAKING

1. Alfonso Soriano, LF: Yes, we did find a Cub who had a decent week. Soriano finally found his home run mojo, hitting three during the week after enduring a six-week drought to begin the season. For all the talk about trading or releasing the 36-year-old veteran, his retiring teammate Kerry Wood singled him out as a player he admired for fighting through injury and attrition in order to play every day. Besides going deep three times last week, Soriano hit .360 with 6 RBIs. Soriano has a nagging knee problem that may result in a trip to the disabled list at some point this season.

2. Anthony Rizzo, Iowa Cubs 1B: The only other Cub who had a good week plays in the minor leagues. Rizzo got all the headlines this past weekend as manager Dale Sveum said the team will consider calling him up when the Cubs begin interleague play in American League ballparks on June 8. Rizzo has dominated the Pacific Coast League with 15 home runs, 14 doubles and a .365 batting average. Bryan LaHair will have to move to the outfield when Rizzo is called up.

SLUMPING

1. The other 24 players: A total offensive melt down has contributed to the Cubs’ seven-game losing streak. They have only scored In four of their past 36 innings over four games. That statistic includes two meaningless games in which the Cubs scored four runs in the ninth inning of blowout losses. Sveum has promised a shakeup of the lineup that may find Starlin Castro back as the leadoff hitter. The strength of the team has been the starting pitching which is beginning to break down due to lack of run support.

ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine takes your Cubs and White Sox questions during a live chat at noon Tuesday. Click here to submit your questions.

HOUSTON -- They were going to have to send Bryan LaHair's superhero costume to the cleaners at some point.

For much of the Cubs’ current seven-game losing streak the previously red-hot slugger has been in a funk right along with the rest of his teammates. Clark Kent vs. the breaking ball isn’t what anybody wants to see.

Since his home run last Tuesday at St. Louis, LaHair has gone 1-for-19 and his streak of reaching base in 32 consecutive games that ended last week is a fond memory. It is the first time he has gone this long without a home run since a seven-game run April 14-23, but he at least had six hits over that stretch.

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HOUSTON -- The Chicago Cubs dropped to a season-worst 12 games under .500 on Monday after a 8-4 defeat to the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game series.

How it happened: Matt Garza gave up a pair of three-run home runs, while the Cubs' pitching staff gave up three total home runs in a game for the third consecutive day. Garza lasted just three innings, giving up seven runs on five hits with two walks. Manager Dale Sveum went with six left-handed bats against the Astros’ Bud Norris but it yielded just five hits and no runs off the starter. Randy Wells came on in relief of Garza and gave up one run over five innings. With the game already out of hand, the Cubs scored four in the ninth.

What it means: The Cubs’ seven-game losing streak is now their longest of the season (they also had a six-game losing streak April 14-20). It is the longest losing streak for the Cubs since they lost eight consecutive from May 30-June 7 last season. They have averaged a shade over three runs per game during the slide.

Outside the box score: After not being shut out the entire season, the Cubs were nearly held scoreless in consecutive games until scoring in the ninth inning Monday. Going back to Friday’s game against the White Sox, the Cubs have scored in just two of the past 29 innings (four runs in the ninth inning Saturday and four in the ninth Monday). Before Monday, the offensively challenged Cubs had scored a run every 8.68 at-bats against right-handed pitching. It was even worse against left-handers with a run every 12.8 at-bats. The bad news: They face left-handed starters in the next two games at Houston.

Off beat: It’s a tough time to not be playing at their best as the Cubs just started a run where they will play 16 of 19 games on the road until June 10 and will log 6,770 air miles over the three-week stretch. Until a June 12 home series begins against the Detroit Tigers, the Cubs will play one series in six different cities: Houston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, San Francisco, Milwaukee and Minnesota. The only home series in the stretch is May 28-30 against the San Diego Padres.

Up next: The Cubs will send left-hander Travis Wood (0-0, 4.50 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday night. He will be opposed by Astros left-hander J.A. Happ (3-3, 4.96) in the 7:05 p.m. start from Minute Maid Park.

HOUSTON -- That lineup upheaval Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum talked about for the top of the order will have to wait.

Sveum said he came close to making the change, but declined at the last minute.

In Monday’s opener of a three-game series at Houston against the Astros, the lineup looked very similar to the one that has been used against right-handed pitching for about a month now, aside from a few spots at the bottom of the order.

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