Cubs Are Stung by Giants, 12-4

The Chicago Cubs have dropped so low even insects are picking on them.

Charlie Hayes hit a three-run homer, J.T. Snow and Ellis Burks drove in three runs apiece and the Chicago Cubs bobbled their way through another ugly day, losing, 12-4, to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.

“A little bit of everything bad happened today,” Cub Manager Jim Riggleman said. “We just got beat in every facet of the game.”

The Cubs have been in a free-fall since June, and have won only twice in the last 15 games. Riggleman’s future is a daily discussion and players are wondering about their fates as well.

“I’m a Cub until Oct. 3,” said second baseman Mickey Morandini, a free agent at the end of the season who has seen his playing time reduced in favor of rookie Chad Meyers. “When that day is over, we’ll see what happens.”

Unlike last year, when the Cubs got all the breaks, bad things are happening almost every day. Balls took weird hops Tuesday, easy plays were blown and Andrew Lorraine (1-2) got stung by a bee when he picked a ball up off the grass before the second inning.

“I felt something on my hand, I flicked it off and I felt a sting,” he said. “It hurt a lot.”

Lorraine said it didn’t affect his pitching, and the second inning was his best as he retired the Giants 1-2-3. It was the first and fourth innings that got him in trouble. He gave up seven runs--six earned--and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Shawn Estes (8-7) scattered three runs and six hits over seven innings, striking out six. Sammy Sosa broke up his shutout bid in the fourth inning with an RBI double.

Sosa, who is tied with Mark McGwire with 51 homers, was two for three.