Reds limp home after winless road trip, now last in NL Central with reeling Astros on deck

CHICAGO — The fourth inning of Thursday’s 8-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs provided the perfect summary of a perfectly imperfect road trip for the Cincinnati Reds.Starter Rhett Lowder left the game with shoulder discomfort, first baseman Spencer Steer had a ball skip off his glove, reliever Connor Phillips walked in a run and catcher Tyler Stephenson thought he had a force at home when he didn’t, allowing a run to score even though the throw easily beat the runner to the plate.The details may have changed, but the plot was the same.Advertisement