These games are taking on a sad sameness.

Good starting pitching. (Mostly) good relief pitching, except for one mistake. A moribund offense.

It happened again Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field and the Pirates, who just allowed the Brewers 33 runs in a three-game series, gave the Cubs just two and the homestand began on a down note with a 3-2 loss.

This game started out like so many others recently, with the Cubs starting pitcher, this time Colin Rea, breezing through the early innings. He allowed just one baserunner through three, a leadoff single in the third. Then Rea got himself in trouble with a two-out walk in the fourth. That was followed by a double by Andrew McCutchen, who even at 38 loves to torment the Cubs. He had a lifetime OPS of .854 vs. the Cubs entering this game, with 3

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