Darvish throws 6 shutout innings, Rizzo hits pair of home runs as Cubs snap 3-game skid with 3-0 win over Reds

CINCINNATI — Yu Darvish merely laughed when his glove fell off while he delivered a pitch to the Cincinnati Reds’ Freddy Galvis in the fourth inning Saturday at Great American Ball Park.

But it was no laughing matter when Joey Votto and Nicholas Castellanos hit consecutive singles to start the fifth with Darvish trying to protect a two-run Chicago Cubs lead.

Darvish kept his composure and had enough command to strike out Jesse Winkler on a 98-mph fastball and Eugenio Suarez on a slider before inducing Galvis to hit a soft grounder with the bases loaded to end the threat and steer the Cubs to a 3-0 victory in the first game of a doubleheader in Cincinnati.

This wasn’t Darvish’s best outing as a Cub — he allowed seven hits while striking out eight and walking two on 104 pitches in six innings — but it held plenty of significance. Darvish (6-1) helped the Cubs snap a three-game losing streak, marking the third time this season he won a game following a Cubs loss.