Cubs walk off Reds for third straight night and skid hits 6

CHICAGO – If this is what the National League Central is going to look like this season for the Cincinnati Reds, then they might as well just start looking at the wild-card race now, in May.

And maybe steer clear of Wrigley Field for their own sanity.

Because this doesn't look pretty. At times against the Cubs this week it hasn't even looked possible.

It's only the first week of May? They haven't yet played the Cardinals or Brewers?

OK, fine, sure.

Elly De La Cruz hits an RBI groundout in the first inning and later hit a sacrifice fly that drove in two more runs.

But a team that spent most of April in first place and that has gone 19-9 against everyone who's not a division opponent has lost all three NL Central series so far, including all six on this two-city, seven-game trip, just lost a third straight game on a walkoff by the Chicago Cubs.

This one came in the 10th inning after the Reds scored four times in the ninth for a two-run lead, only to blow it in the bottom of the ninth on closer Emilio Pagán's first day on the injured list (hamstring).

Reds lefty Brock Burke walked lefty-hitting Michael Busch with the bases loaded and two out for the game winner in a 7-6 Reds loss.

Since beating the Pirates on March 30, the Reds have lost eight straight to the Pirates and Cubs over the three division series in the early going, including four blowout losses to the Pirates and four straight one-run losses to both the Pirates and Cubs the past four games.