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The mystery all but ended in the bottom of the first inning.
The agony of sloppy baseball continued as the Chicago Cubs lost 12-1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Tuesday night.
The up-and-down Cubs continue to chase unwanted MLB history.
By dropping their 10th consecutive game Tuesday, the Cubs became the 25th team in MLB history to collect double-digit winning and losing streaks during the same season.
The Cubs, who have compiled two 10-game winning streaks through the opening two months of the season, allowed Tuesday's game to slip away early, beginning with a lead-off walk to Konnor Griffin, followed by Brandon Lowe's single and a two-run double by Bryan Reynolds.
Oneil Cruz capped the first inning with an RBI single and then scored on Esmerlyn Valdez's two-out, two-run home run to center field.
Cubs winning, losing big
The Cubs continued chasing dubious big-league marks, becoming the first team since the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers to record 10-game winning and losing streaks during the first 55 games of a season.
They were also the first club since the 1985 Minnesota Twins to compile winning and losing streaks of nine games within a span of 27 days.
Sloppy baseball by the Cubs led to a 9-1 deficit Tuesday.
The outcome was all but decided, but the optics became fuzzier for the Cubs. On a routine ground ball to third baseman Alex Bregman, the looping relay shorthopped first baseman Michael Busch, who failed to adjust his body to at least block the low throw. Griffin, who started on second base, scored to give the Pirates an eight-run advantage.
Is this the same Cubs (29-26) squad that paced the NL Central earlier this month? They enter Wednesday's game in a last-place tie with the Pirates.
Compare the Cubs on Tuesday to where they were on May 6. Then, they earned 17 wins in their previous 20 games, including 10 comeback victories and four walkoff triumphs.
Fifty-five games into the season, the inconsistent Cubs continue their unique record chase.
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