While the Chicago Cubs have enjoyed a return to prominence in 2015, the Cincinnati Reds are on the verge of their longest losing streak in 17 years.
The Reds attempt to avoid a 10th consecutive loss Tuesday night when they begin a three-game series with the playoff-bound Cubs.
Cincinnati's late-season woes continued with Monday's 5-1 loss in Washington, where Tucker Barnhart's single off Max Scherzer with one out in the eighth inning prevented the Reds from being no-hit for the first time since 1971. A defeat Tuesday would give Cincinnati (63-93) its worst skid since an 11-game slide June 14-24, 1998, and its most losses in a season since going 66-96 in 2001.
The Reds finished with three hits and struck out 10 times in Scherzer's eight innings.
"There weren't a lot of great at-bats against him. He just had that kind of stuff," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "It was about as good as I've seen him live."
Cincinnati, 12-31 since Aug. 14, resides in last place in the NL Central, a position Chicago (91-65) held for five straight seasons prior to its turnaround. The Cubs are locked into the wild-card game and still have an outside chance to host it, trailing Pittsburgh by 3 1-2 games with six remaining.
Chicago has gained two games on the Pirates in the last two days behind a pair of stellar pitching performances. After Jake Arrieta took a perfect game into the seventh inning of Sunday's 4-0 win over Pittsburgh, six hurlers combined for a four-hitter in Monday's 1-0, 11-inning triumph over Kansas City as the Pirates fell 3-0 to St. Louis.
The Cubs also mustered only four hits, the last Chris Denorfia's pinch-hit homer that gave Chicago its MLB-leading 13th walk-off win.
"That was a really well-played game," manager Joe Maddon said.
Dan Haren (9-9, 4.83 ERA) will attempt to extend Chicago's 21-inning scoreless streak in the opener, though the veteran has labored in two starts since tossing seven innings in a 9-0 win at St. Louis on Sept. 7.
Haren followed by allowing four runs in three innings of a 7-4 loss at Philadelphia Sept. 13 and lasted 4 1-3 while permitting one earned run in Chicago's 8-3 victory over the Cardinals five days later.
The 35-year-old also has struggled on the road in the second half, going 1-3 with a 5.45 ERA while surrendering 12 homers in 38 innings in seven post All-Star break starts. Haren's 31 homers allowed are tied for the third-most in the majors.
Haren has allowed nine homers in 35 1-3 career innings at Great American Ball Park, where he's 2-3 with a 5.09 ERA in six starts. He gave up one and two runs in 6 1-3 innings of a 5-0 loss there with Miami on June 19.
Joey Votto homered off Haren in Cincinnati's 5-4 loss at Wrigley Field on Sept. 1, and reached base for a 45th consecutive game with a walk Monday. The streak is the majors' longest this season and three shy of Pete Rose's club record in 1978.
Josh Smith (0-2, 7.23) gets the call for the Reds in search of his first major league win in his sixth start and first against Chicago.
The rookie has allowed seven runs in nine innings in two no-decisions since rejoining the rotation Sept. 19. Smith allowed three runs while fanning five in five innings Thursday against the New York Mets.
