Richards (0-5) allowed four earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six across five innings to take the loss Thursday against the Cubs.
Richards was burned by two home runs that accounted for three of his four earned runs. He flashed decent skills by racking up 13 swinging strikes and 19 called strikes across 94 total pitches, but he was unable to translate that to a strong overall outing. In order to get better results, he'll have to both limit homers and walks, as he has surrendered 4.90 BB/9 and 1.50 HR/9 across 42.1 innings this season. He'll look to get on the right track in his next start, likely to come Wednesday against Tampa Bay.