CINCINNATI -- After winning just 12 of 28 games in a June schedule that manager David Ross called “a gauntlet,” July couldn’t get here fast enough for the Cubs.

“I think we ran through a really tough schedule in June. And I think July, in my mind, feels like we’re getting some health back," Ross said before Friday's contest. “We get some guys that have been banged up back healthy. Yeah, we’re at the halfway point and on our way to the second half and whole another half of a season we’re fixing to partake in. So yeah, I think there’s a little bit to that.”

On Friday, Anthony Rizzo (back) and Kris Bryant (right side) returned to the heart of the order, with Rizzo hitting fourth and Bryant fifth behind Joc Pederson, Willson Contreras and Javier Báez. Rizzo returned to his normal spot of first base after leaving the game in Los Angeles last Sunday with back stiffness.

“I wish I knew. One day in L.A., it just locked up,” Rizzo said of his back. “It just grabbed. It’s just frustrating.”

But the Cubs' skipper also cautioned that their return alone wouldn’t guarantee victory. He made the point that the whole team would have to produce offensively and get a little better luck for them to have the kind of success they’re looking for in the second half.

That turned out to be prophetic as the Cubs' bats fell victim to great defensive plays from Jesse Winker, Kyle Farmer and Eugenio Suárez in a 2-1 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park, their seventh straight loss on this nightmarish road swing through L.A., Milwaukee and Cincinnati.

A little rest and better health paid immediate dividends for Bryant. The Cubs’ center fielder, who missed Tuesday and Wednesday’s games with a strain of his right side, collected hits in his first two plate appearances Friday.

He also showed no rust in racing home from first base on Jason Heyward’s double to right-center in the fourth, which put the Cubs up 1-0.

Bryant entered Friday mired in an 0-for-11 slump, part of a road trip in which he had just one hit in 19 at-bats over seven games. Overall, Bryant was just 4-for-52 in his previous 16 games.

Right-hander Alec Mills didn’t allow a hit until Jonathan India rapped a hard ground ball, just under the glove of Báez deep in the hole with two outs in the third. The Reds chased Mills from the game in the sixth when India worked a one-out walk and Nick Castellanos singled to center with two outs.

Making his fifth start of the year, Mills finished with a season-high nine strikeouts, walking just one and throwing 92 pitches before being pulled. 

“Millsy had a great night,” Ross said. “He pounded the [strike] zone. I thought he had a phenomenal night.”

The Reds took a 2-1 lead when Joey Votto doubled down the right-field line off lefty reliever Adam Morgan.

The Cubs could do little against five Cincinnati relievers, as Heath Hembree struck out pinch-hitter Rafael Ortega for his second save.

While Bryant was 2-for-4 and scored the only run, Rizzo’s frustration continued, as he struck out three times. 

“We are on a skid, and it’s not fun,” Rizzo said. “Losing sucks. From now on, trade rumors are going to be flying. [The media] will be asking us, as they should. We just have to concentrate on each day. We have a long way to go. It’s a marathon. There’s a long way to go in the season.”