CHICAGO -- It wasn’t difficult to judge the level of confidence Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon had in starter Tsuyoshi Wada on Thursday night. Leading by two runs in the third inning, Maddon had a pitcher warming up in the bullpen -- with the Cubs at bat in the bottom half of the frame.

Wada faced only one batter in the fourth inning. He gave up a home run to the Cincinnati Reds’ Chris Dominguez -- who was playing his first game after being called up from the minors -- and Maddon had seen enough.

This was the second straight start Wada has failed to get out of the fourth -- he gave up five runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings in his last start at Washington on June 5 -- so it wasn’t surprising the manager was asked following the Cubs’ 6-3 victory if he is considering replacing Wada in the rotation.

“No, I’m not even thinking about that right now,” Maddon said.

That answer surprised many in the assembled media and, no doubt, probably surprised anyone who watched the performance. Maddon, though, explained that he believes Wada’s problem is easily fixable.

“I just think he needs to become more assertive like he was earlier [in the season],” the manager said. “The first couple of games I saw him pitch, I use the word assertive ... aggressive, confident, trusting his stuff, and I’m seeing him trying to be too complicated. Let’s simplify this whole thing; trust your good stuff.”

Catcher Miguel Montero agreed: “He needs to not give that much credit to the hitters. I feel like he’s just giving too much credit to the hitters and he falls behind. He needs to pitch a little more to contact. He’s not a strikeout guy, so he needs to throw a little bit more strikes and let them put the ball in play. Let us make the plays.”

Wada’s line Thursday wasn’t horrendous (three runs on four hits in three-plus innings), but Maddon just didn’t like the way things looked.

“They weren’t missing many pitches,” he said of the Reds. “They were fouling a lot of stuff off and they were on him. Sometimes the other team is on you. And from the side, you have to pay attention to that.”

Wada admitted that he’s in a funk right now. “It wasn’t as bad as the last time, but I can’t make an adjustment,” he said through an interpreter. “I just can’t find it right now.”

Maddon said he planned to have a talk with Wada, perhaps as soon as Friday, to straighten things out.

“I think it’s a conversation,” the manager said. “It’s not a mechanical adjustment. It’s more of a mental adjustment going into his next start.”

It was easy for Maddon to be patient on Thursday because the Cubs performed well in other areas to negate Wada’s short, ineffective night.

Montero got the six-game homestand off to a strong start with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first (the first blast into the just-opened right-field bleachers) and Dexter Fowler added a solo shot leading off the third.

Travis Wood, who lost his spot in the rotation when Wada was activated on May 20, came on to provide 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Three other relievers then combined to get the final 11 outs.

“You can’t say enough about the bullpen today,” Maddon said. “Every one of them was outstanding. Woody really put some definition into that game. He got it really back on our side. Woody, for me, was the star of the bullpen tonight.”

But having a starter in the rotation who can’t get out of the fourth inning is a recipe for disaster -- especially on a night when the offense isn’t as potent and the bullpen isn’t as precise.

“He’s an easy mark right now, there’s no question,” Maddon said. “We just need to talk to him and try to get him back to where he was those first couple of starts.

“He needs to go back to being a little more primal. I know you wouldn’t think a guy throwing 89 [mph] needs to be that guy, but I think he does.”