SCHWINDEL HOMERS IN CUBS’ LOSS
MILWAUKEE — It seems as though Cubs first baseman Frank Schwindel can do no wrong. In fact, he’s doing everything right.
Schwindel continued his ridiculous start to his Cubs career in an 8-5 loss Friday to the Brewers.
The Cubs scored four runs in the fourth inning against Brewers starter Adrian Houser, but it was Schwindel’s big swing in the fifth that stood out. He hit a drive to left field that just snuck over the wall for a solo home run that gave the Cubs a 5-3 lead.
It was Schwindel’s 14th homer of the season and 13th with the Cubs. Since joining the team July 30, he has at least one hit in 35 of his 42 games.
Much like fellow right-hander Kyle Hendricks did Thursday against the Phillies, Zach Davies came out and found an early rhythm against the Brewers.
Davies, as he often does, had success the first time through the order and tossed three perfect innings against his former team. But he got himself into trouble in the fourth, allowing the first five hitters of the inning to reach base, and the Brewers scored three runs to pull to 4-3.
After Schwindel’s homer, Davies allowed another run in the fifth but was rescued from more trouble when reliever Codi Heuer stranded the bases loaded.
The Brewers, however, scored four runs in the eighth against reliever Rowan Wick to rally for the victory. Lorenzo Cain tied the score 5-5 with an RBI single before Kolten Wong gave them the lead with a two-run single. The last run of the inning scored on a wild pitch by reliever Dillon Maples.
RODRIGUEZ TO INJURED LIST
The Cubs put reliever Manny Rodriguez on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his right shoulder. The injury likely will end his season.
The hard-throwing Rodriguez had an up-and-down first stint with the Cubs. He flashed some electric stuff at times, but he also had some struggles recently. He had a 6.11 ERA in 20 appearances.
‘‘Never say never, right?’’ manager David Ross said about the possibility of Rodriguez returning this season. ‘‘But I probably err on the side of making sure that everything’s fine. Ten days with the off days would probably give him four or five games [left]. Doesn’t make a lot of sense. I think it’d be hard to build him back up, so I would assume that’s probably going to be it.’’
Left-hander Adam Morgan was activated off the bereavement list and took Rodriguez’s spot on the roster.
HEYWARD IMPROVING
There has been much concern for right fielder Jason Heyward, who has been having concussion symptoms for the last several days. He went on the seven-day concussion IL on Tuesday but has shown improvement after a scary collision sliding into third base last Saturday against the Giants.
‘‘He is feeling better, which is great news,’’ Ross said. ‘‘The nausea has gone away, and he’s sleeping through the night. There’s a lot of good signs pointing in the right direction.’’