One mistake ends up costing Wood

Travis Wood did it all for the Cubs Tuesday night, and that was the problem.

Wood worked 7-innings of 5-hit, 3-run ball and chipped in with the bat as he hit a home run leading off the bottom of the third.

But that was it for the Cubs, who fell 4-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers before a season-low crowd of 30,017 at Wrigley Field.

“It wasn't enough, apparently,” said Wood, who lost his eighth straight decision to fall to 4-11.

Wood made one mistake, giving up a 3-run homer to Jeff Bianchi in the second inning on a 3-0 pitch. It was Bianchi's first major-league home run. Bianchi briefly was property of the Cubs last winter.

“I should know better, the pitcher's on deck,” Wood said. “But I made the pitch I did, and he put a good swing on it and hit it out.”

As far as his own hitting goes, Wood now has 3 major-league homers. His previous 2 came while he was with the Reds.

“I've always enjoyed hitting,” he said. “I'm not afraid to hit. I feel like you're in the National League, take pride in hitting. You should be able to handle the bat and at least help yourself out.”

Wood has not won a decision since July 6 even though he has had good starts since then.

“With tonight, 4-11, so not very good,” he said of his year. “Ups and downs for sure. I feel like I've made some strides, but I always expect more.”

Barney ties mark:Second baseman Darwin Barney tied the National League single-season record of 113 straight errorless games at second base. He joins David Eckstein, who did it in 2010 with San Diego. #8220;I take a lot (of pride),#8221; Barney said. #8220;It's one of those things when I was younger, I felt defense was my weakness. So I put a lot of effort into it.#8221;Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg had a Cub-record 123-game errorless streak at second base over the 1989 and 1990 seasons. Vitters sits:Third baseman Josh Vitters had a seat on the bench. His batting average fell to .093 (5-for-54) after an 0-for-5 night Monday. #8220;Some people take on a little more than they can bite off sometimes, and right now he's got a lot going on at the plate and defensively,#8221; said manager Dale Sveum. #8220;He's done an OK job defensively, but he needs to develop on an everyday basis in at-bats and understanding the sequences of a pitcher and what he is trying to do and situational hitting. There's a long way to go yet.#8221;Luis Valbuena started at third base and made two nice plays. He was 1-for-3 at the plate.BBN16712506Cubs pitcher Travis Wood watches his home run off Brewers starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo during the third inning. It was WoodsÂ’ third home run of his career and first as a Cub.Associated PressBBN