Early scoring burst helps Rockies rout Cubs

Two dramatic comebacks in a row proved too much to ask from the Cubs, as they were unable to recover from a rough start by pitcher Dallas Beeler on Tuesday night in a 7-2 loss to the Rockies. Beeler gave up 4 runs in the first inning.

Just 24 hours before, rookie third baseman Kris Bryant pulled the Cubs out of a 1-run hole with a 2-run, walk-off homer in the ninth in the first of three games against Colorado at Wrigley Field.

Lackluster performances at the plate Tuesday dashed hopes that the dramatic hit and victory signaled an end to the Cubs' offensive slump.

Maddon said before the game that a string of wins was necessary to get momentum going, rather than one big win. With Tuesday's loss, the Cubs haven't won back-to-back home games since a sweep of St. Louis on July 7.

"You get on a three- or four-game run and it feels like all you have to do is throw a glove out there and you're going to win. I don't know that just one game necessarily does that," he said. "I just want us to get into that nice little sustained roll of success."

Beeler made the trip from Triple-A Iowa for his third major-league start of the season and just the fifth of his career. Maddon pulled the right-hander after 37 pitches.

In his starts on July 7 and July 22 - both wins - Beeler recorded a combined ERA of 6.43.

Lefty Travis Wood relieved Beeler in the second and allowed 1 run over 3-plus innings in a performance Maddon called "outstanding."

"(Wood) has grown into a tremendous bullpen pitcher: very reliable, gets out lefties and righties," Maddon said. "What he did tonight was spectacular."

Justin Grimm and James Russell held Colorado scoreless in their brief appearances on the mound, but Rafael Soriano gave up 2 runs in the eighth before Jason Motte could close it out.

"Beeler had another tough outing on the mound, them jumping us for 4 points," Maddon said. "Our bullpen did a great job after that. They kept us in the game, made it feasible, believable, just a couple hits away."

Maddon said he didn't want to use Soriano or Motte after both pitched Monday night, but a pregame injury to right-handed pitcher Neil Ramirez limited his options.

The Rockies managed their 7 runs despite the absence of shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays late Monday night. Seven different Rockies recorded hits, with former Cubs second baseman DJ LeMahieu collecting a team-high 3.

For the Cubs, center fielder Dexter Fowler and right fielder Jorge Soler had 3 hits and 2 hits, respectively, but they resulted in only 1 run, a Soler RBI in the fifth.

Pinch hitter Chris Coghlan tacked on the Cubs' last run with a seventh-inning homer, and second baseman Addison Russell was responsible for the only other hit of the game, a single in the seventh.

"Listen, we have to do better offensively. There's no way around it; that's what it comes down to," Maddon said. "We have so much more offensive potential than what we're showing."