CHICAGO -- Navigating successfully through five innings this season has proven problematic for Yu Darvish. His latest start was no different.
Darvish, who signed a $126 million contract in the offseason, allowed six runs (five earned) and three homers -- including two in the fifth inning -- as the Cubs dropped their second straight game with an 11-2 loss to the Rockies on Wednesday at Wrigley Field.
Despite striking out eight, Darvish departed after 4 1/3 innings and was unable to survive the fifth inning for the fourth time in six outings. Darvish gave up a two-run home run in the first inning to Nolan Arenado before Trevor Story and Chris Iannetta followed with solo shots in the fifth inning.
Darvish said he felt no added pressure with the Cubs struggling offensively, but he said his rhythm was off throughout the outing and that he left too many pitches up in the strike zone that turned into home runs.

"There are good days and bad days, and today turned out to be the latter," Darvish said through a team interpreter. "Everything in general just went south today."
The Rockies also added single runs in the second and third innings, but Arenado put the game out of reach with a three-run homer in the eighth inning off reliever Luke Farrell.
The Cubs' offense continued to struggle, as Chicago scored three or fewer runs for the eighth straight game. Anthony Rizzo and Kristopher Bryant, who each hit a solo homer, provided the only spark.

Despite the recent offensive slump, the Cubs aren't convinced the lack of offensive firepower will linger much longer.
"Overall, our approach [at the plate] hasn't been terrible. We had good ABs. We're going up there with a good mindset," right fielder Jason Heyward said. "Some days, you're just going to get beat."
After managing just three hits in a 3-1 loss on Tuesday night, the Cubs -- who struck out nine times against Rockies starter Tyler Anderson and 10 times overall -- finished Wednesday's loss with just four hits, including two by Rizzo.

Between Darvish's struggles and another game in which the Cubs couldn't generate much offense, manager Joe Maddon said there is nothing to do but to flush a loss that capped off an otherwise successful 5-2 homestand.
"That game belongs in Lake Michigan with some cement shoes tied around it," Maddon said. "That was awful."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
With one out in the second inning and the Cubs already trailing 2-0, catcher Willson Contreras fielded a bunt by Anderson and attempted to force Pat Valaika out at second base to try to start a double play. Instead, Contreras' throw sailed high, which allowed Valaika to advance to third. He then scored on a Charlie Blackmon RBI single, one of two Cubs errors on the day that led to runs.
"[We weren't] so great on the defensive side," said left fielder Benjamin Zobrist, who finished the game at second base.

SOUND SMART
The last time the Cubs went eight straight games without scoring more than three runs was June 23-July 1, 2015.
"We just aren't hitting -- we haven't hit for a week," Maddon said. "Today was not an anomaly. That's a 5-2 homestand, and we haven't been hitting for a week so there's a silver lining."

HE SAID IT
"We didn't play good today. To dissect it more than that, it's difficult. I think every guy in that room would concede the fact we had a bad day." -- Maddon on the Cubs performance Wednesday
UP NEXT
Following an off-day on Thursday, left-hander Jose Quintana takes the mound as the Cubs travel to St. Louis for a three-game series against the Cardinals. First pitch is 7:15 p.m. CT on Friday. Quintana is coming off seven shutout innings against the Brewers on Saturday, when he allowed just two hits and struck out seven, and he'll duel right-hander Miles Mikolas.