CHICAGO -- Both time and chances seem to be running out for Tyler Beede as the Giants’ young right-handed starter looks to get out of his recent slump.

Beede’s struggles in the month of August continued in Tuesday night’s 5-3 loss against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The loss pushed the Giants 4 1/2 games behind Chicago for the second National League Wild Card spot.

“When he’s making that mistake, he’s not getting away with it,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “They took advantage of it.”

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That has been the mantra for Beede the last seven weeks as his frustrating stretch of starts leaves him looking for answers.

The 26-year-old's issues with the long ball showed up early in his outing against the Cubs as a pair of first-inning solo home runs by Nicholas Castellanos and Anthony Rizzo put Beede and the Giants behind quickly.

Beede’s battles with Rizzo on Tuesday were a microcosm of his recent run of tough luck.

After getting Rizzo to watch a changeup low and away on the first pitch of the at-bat for a strike, the next pitch ended up finishing middle-in and landing in the bleachers in right field.

The second at-bat against Rizzo yielded the same result.

Beede got Rizzo to swing through the 2-1 changeup at the bottom of the zone before throwing a changeup even lower on 2-2, but the Cubs first baseman was looking for it and golfed a homer into the seats in right field.

The Rizzo solo shot pushed Beede’s season total to 20 homers allowed in 86 2/3 innings.

“I’m not too sure, but he hit two good pitches,” Beede said. “The fastball inside was where I wanted it to be. I’m not sure if that’s just a situation where I need to get it more in, especially being 0-1, but at that point I’m just trying to attack the zone. Good hitter that hits good pitches.”

“I think it’s the execution of pitches. The pitch quality. Making mistakes. That’s the key to pitching,” Bochy said. “At times, it gets away from you and gets over the heart of the plate, and that’s what happens to him.”

Beede’s recent issues can be tied to his inability to keep the ball in the ballpark. Eleven of his 20 homers allowed have come in his last six starts.

“I keep trying to just tell myself to go after guys,” Beede said. “I don’t want to continue to feel like if I make a mistake, it’s going to leave the yard. But it seems to be the way things are going as of right now.”

Short outings for Beede have put a strain on the San Francisco bullpen as he’s now failed to finish the sixth inning since July 18 vs. the Mets. He threw four innings Tuesday, allowing three runs on six hits before being lifted before the fifth inning with the game tied at 3.

If not for a pair of home runs by Austin Slater and Kevin Pillar, Beede would have dropped his fifth start in his last six outings. He earned a no-decision instead.

Beede is now 0-2 with a 9.18 ERA in his four starts in August, and with the Giants having the second-lowest run total in the NL, pitching will have to carry them if they hope to remain alive in the playoff race.

“He’s making great pitches at times and makes that mistake. Those are good hitters. They are going to take advantage of him. That’s the difference,” Bochy said. “That’s the hump he’s going to have to get over.”