Bryant’s blast goes for naught; Cubs fall

Rookie’s error buoys Reds; Schwarber’s injury stings

CHICAGO — Cubs rookie Kris Bryant experienced the peaks and valleys of baseball Wednesday in the eighth and ninth innings.

But that compressed gamut could pale in comparison to the wide range of possibilities facing the Cubs in the upcoming weeks, especially pending the results of extensive tests on fellow rookie Kyle Schwarber.

Schwarber experienced right rib soreness in the batting cages under the left-field bleachers before a wild 7-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at hot and breezy Wrigley Field.

After the game, the Cubs said they wouldn’t know the extent of Schwarber’s injury until Friday.

The potential loss of Schwarber, who hit a game-winning home run Tuesday and scored 26 runs and drove in 24 in August, could put stress on an offense in need of producing more runs.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he had “no idea” of the severity of Schwarber’s injury, but if he’s lost for an extensive period it would increase the burden on the veterans and force Maddon to become even more resourceful with a roster that expanded Tuesday.

“The biggest concern i s t hat (Schwarber) is the third catcher,” Maddon said. Schwarber has excelled since primarily playing the outfield beginning Aug. 7. “My first thought is you’d like to have that flexibility.”

Schwarber, who is batting .270 with 13 home runs and 38 RBIs in 48 games, was scratched from the lineup 30 minutes before the game. Chris Coghlan moved from right field to left field, with newcomer Austin Jackson doing fine in his first major league start in right. Jackson ripped a double in the seventh, and his single in the ninth helped bring the potential tying run to the plate.

“We’ll wait and see how it plays out,” Maddon said.

Bryant, meanwhile, accepted responsibility for not stopping Jay Bruce’s hard grounder with two out in the ninth inning of a 4-all tie. All-Star Joey Votto made the Cubs pay the price when he smacked a 97-mph fastball for a threerun homer off closer Hector Rondon.

Bryant’s error, his 16th, occurred after his two-run homer off J.J. Hoover in the eighth tied the game.

“It’s tough,” said Bryant, a Bonanza High School product. “Obviously, you’re on cloud nine when you hit a game-tying home run, and then you blow it the next inning. Sometimes baseball works that way. It’s a crazy game. It gives you everything and it takes everything away.

“(But) there are a lot of positives from the game, personally and for the team. So there’s nothing to hang my head about. I wish I blocked the ball or put a body part on it. I was unable to do that.”

After today, the Cubs have only two remaining days off. But Bryant, who has 22 home runs and 84 RBIs, is eager to make amends for his error.

“We signed up for this,” Bryant said. “I love playing this game. I was thinking to myself, ‘I don’t know how good the off day will be.’ I just want to keep playing. It has been so much fun, and we’re playing well.

“I don’t want to stop playing, but I think we all need (the rest).”