CHICAGO — The Reds didn't question their effort Thursday. Others, however, wondered about their heart. At least their lack of results was beyond debate.

Ruben Rivera tries to nap in the dugout during the rain delay (AP photos) | ZOOM |

        Cincinnati's May misery reached new heights, or lows, at Wrigley Field as right-hander Jon Lieber limited the Reds to one hit in the Chicago Cubs' 3-0 victory that concluded a three-game sweep.

        The Cubs' shutout win also concluded the Reds' National League-record consecutive-game scoring streak, which ended at 208.

        Afterward, Cubs manager Don Baylor criticized the Reds, who went down meekly all afternoon against Lieber.

        “It seems like they had a plane to catch,” Baylor said.

        A scout from a National League East team watching the game said of the Reds: “They didn't (care). They looked like they couldn't wait to get out of here.”

Deion Sanders (0-for-3) dropped to .159. | ZOOM |

        Six hours and one minute of rain delays dulled this series, and the Reds generated little more than easy outs. They hit .116 (10-for-86) while absorbing their first three-game sweep here since Aug.31-Sept.2, 1998. During their month-long first-to-fifth descent in the division standings, the Reds have watched their hitters accumulate more strikeouts (159) than hits (156).

        Though he wasn't as demeaning as Baylor, Reds manager Bob Boone put some bite into his postgame remarks.

        “If you had gone against (Sandy) Koufax, (Don) Drysdale and (Don) Sutton, you're still supposed to get more than 10 hits,” Boone said.

        Players insisted they did their best, even after making Lieber throw just 79 pitches, 55 for strikes. Excluding Thursday's 2 hours and 32 minutes of rain delays, the game took only one hour, 48 minutes to complete.

        “It's not a lack of effort,” said right fielder Alex Ochoa, who went 3-for-23 on this 2-4 road trip. “It's trying to get something going instead of just letting it happen. ... You (make an) out and when you get up the next time, you want to get a hit.”

        Juan Castro, whose single with one out in the sixth inning ended Lieber's perfect game, repeated the term “frustration” as he groped for the root of the Reds' problems.

        “Everybody was trying too hard,” said Castro, who dropped an 0-1 slider cleanly into right field for Cincinnati's lone hit. “I hope this goes away and we can get back on a roll.”

Juan Castro tags out Eric Young trying to steal second in the fifth inning. | ZOOM |

        In fairness to the Reds, that will be a difficult task with Barry Larkin, Ken Griffey Jr. and Aaron Boone on the disabled list. That doesn't include Dmitri Young and Pokey Reese, who are ailing.

        But professional sports aren't supposed to be fair.

        “This is still the big leagues,” said Boone, who has refused to use the Reds' injuries as an excuse for their 17 losses in 21 games. “You're getting paid big-league money to be a big-league player. If you can't play in the big leagues, you're not going to be in the big leagues. It's a pressure- packed thing, but that's the bottom line.”

        Now the Reds have lost not only their star players and their previously stellar road record (their five losses in seven games puts it at 13-11), but also their scoring streak.

        “All good things come to an end sometime,” first baseman Sean Casey said. “If you're going to get shut out, it doesn't matter if you get one hit or 12.”

        Cincinnati hadn't been held scoreless since Oct.4, 1999, when New York's Al Leiter yielded two hits in a 5-0 decision. That happened to be the wild-card playoff game — a pinnacle the Reds seem far from reaching these days.

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