ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Yu Darvish leaned over and looked at his name and the No. 11 on the back of his Texas Rangers jersey. Then he looked up and smiled.

The Houston Astrodome was known as the House of Pain when the NFL’s Houston Oilers played there.

That phrase was so true, too, for the Chicago Cubs, who went 83-137 there in the 35 seasons (1965-1999) the Astros called it home. The Cubs couldn’t seem to win there even when they were good and the Astros weren’t.

In 1986, Houston would go on to win the NL West title while the Cubs struggled through their second straight losing season after the 1984 NL East division title.

This game was no exception to the rule.

I think Jim Frey is panicking and if he keeps this up, Dallas Green might even have to think about replacing him, less than two years after he led the Cubs to their best season since World War II. That’s a harsh statement, but after tonight’s 9-6 loss to the Astros, the Cubs’ third straight loss, it does seem as if Frey is losing it.

This game started out well. Jody Davis and Keith Moreland both homered off Houston’s soft-tossing rookie Jim Deshaies in the first inning, and when Davis homered a second time off Deshaies in the top of the sixth, the Cubs had a 6-3 lead; Dennis Eckersley, who was roughed up a bit in the first two innings, had settled down. Incidentally, this is only the second time in the 22 seasons the Cubs have been playing in the Astrodome that they have hit three home runs in a game. They lost the other one, too, 11-7 on May 1, 1974. This place has been the worst road stadium for the Cubs for decades.

Maybe that’s why Frey panicked after two of the first three hitters in the bottom of the sixth got hits, with a run scoring, making it 6-4. It’s not as if anyone was really hitting Eck hard; sure, he’d given up 10 hits by then, but nine of them were singles and, showing his usual control, Eck hadn’t walked anyone.

The Cubs’ bullpen has been shaky all year and that’s why Frey should have let Eckersley work his own way out of the jam. Jay Baller and Guy Hoffman were awful; Baller got the second out but allowed a single to pinch-hitter Alan Ashby, cutting the lead to 6-5. He wild-pitched pinch-runner Tony Walker to second and then gave up another hit to Bill Doran that tied the game. Hoffman came in and…

… well, you probably don’t even want to hear the rest. It was ugly. Three straight hits made it 9-6 Astros, which is where it ended.

Before this latest losing streak, the Cubs had actually climbed out of the 2-8 hole they dug at the beginning of the year, going 11-10. But playing this weekend series in Houston isn’t going to help, and neither is trying to climb out of last place, 10.5 games behind, when we’re not even in June yet.

You know, the Cubs have a kid named Jamie Moyer who’s been throwing great at Double-A and Triple-A this year. Maybe they could bring him up and slide Eckersley over to the bullpen… Eck’s control would be a great help there.

Do you think that would work?

The GO! column is a series of quick questions, some serious, some quirky, that allow us to hear more from you and you to hear less from us. A win win! GO!

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Wrigley Field is loaded with traditions–traditions that some Cubs fans love and others loathe. Here’s what Jeremiah would keep and what he’d dump.

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A completely random and disconnected news morning. But interesting, or at least I think so. NFL championships, the VP, a cowardly captain, some baseball, and Throatwarbler Mangrove.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan Braun made only a passing reference to his positive drug test and possible 50-game suspension as he accepted the National League MVP award at a black-tie dinner.

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies have acquired infielder Marco Scutaro from the Boston Red Sox for right-hander Clayton Mortensen.

Since I’ve been posting about minor league deals for the Cubs recently, I suppose I need to include this one:

Courtesy of Google Translate:

Rodrigo Lopez signs minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs are just …. Dennis Reyes and Luis Ayala as free agents.

Hmmm. Not sure what the Reyes and Ayala references mean, but there you have it.

I’m sure Lopez is a fine fellow, loves his mother and is nice to puppies and kittens.

But I don’t want him on the Cubs any more. Hopefully, he’ll be released at the end of spring training.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Since I’ve been posting about minor league deals for the Cubs recently, I suppose I need to include this one:

Courtesy of Google Translate:

Rodrigo Lopez signs minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs are just …. Dennis Reyes and Luis Ayala as free agents.

Hmmm. Not sure what the Reyes and Ayala references mean, but there you have it.

I’m sure Lopez is a fine fellow, loves his mother and is nice to puppies and kittens.

But I don’t want him on the Cubs any more. Hopefully, he’ll be released at the end of spring training.

Discuss amongst yourselves.