KSReds: Another Ugly Sweep for the Cincinnati Reds

On April 24th, the Cincinnati Reds snapped an 11-game losing streak. Since then they have piled up another nine losses and sit at 3-22 on the season. The Reds were outscored 34-12 in a three-game sweep to the Milwaukee Brewers this week to continue what has been one of the worst starts to a season in Major League Baseball history.

As the losses pile up the long 162-game season drones on. Cincinnati returns to Great American Ball Park on Friday for a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Saturday features a day/night doubleheader. Connor Overton is scheduled to take the mound for the Reds at 6:40 p.m. EST on Friday evening.

Typically, nothing cures a losing streak like a four-game series with the Pirates. However, when you are 3-22, facing even a 10-14 team can seem like a daunting task. There is simply no other way to slice it than to say the 2022 Cincinnati Reds are one of the worst baseball teams in modern baseball history.

Tyler Mahle Struggles Once Again

After a very promising 2021 season, expectations were high for Tyler Mahle coming into 2022. However, after a good Opening Day performance, the Cincinnati Reds’ 27-year-old has struggled mightily. On Tuesday evening in Milwaukee, he lasted just three and one-third innings allowing five runs on four hits. Will Adames blasted a three-run home run in the bottom of the third to give the Brewers a 3-0 lead.

The Reds answered in the fourth with back-to-back home runs by Tommy Pham and Mike Moustakas. Unfortunately, as has been the case for most of the season, that was the lone exciting part of the game for Cincinnati. Moustakas doubled in a run in the sixth to cut into the deficit once again, but that would be all the Reds could muster.

Milwaukee went on to take game one of the series 6-3. Mahle was saddled with the loss on the mound falling to 1-4 on the season. He has an ugly 7.01 earned run average. For those continuing to look for small silver linings, Alexis Diaz and Jeff Hoffman were excellent in relief once again. Both right-handers have been great out of the bullpen this season.

Promising Start Turns to Disaster for the Reds

We are running out of ways to describe the train wreck that is this Cincinnati Reds season.

Wednesday night in Milwaukee actually began in a positive way for the Reds. Mike Moustakas stayed hot with a single in the top of the first to drive in a run. Colin Moran added a sacrifice fly to take an early 2-0 advantage. However, it quickly went downhill from there and turned downright ugly in the late innings.

The Brewers got both runs back in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game. Then, in the bottom of the third, Rowdy Tellez hit a grand slam to bust it wide open on the scoreboard. Vladimir Gutierrez gave up seven runs on eight hits in four and one-third innings to move to 0-5 on the season.

Tellez hit another long ball in the sixth inning to make it a 9-3 game before it really turned even uglier in the seventh. Lucas Sims had one of his worst outings ever walking four batters and allowing five runs while recording just two outs. Four runs in the seventh and five in the eighth ballooned the Brewers’ advantage all the way to 18-4.

The loss marked the Reds’ 21st defeat in 24 games, making them just the second team in National League history to lose 21 of their first 24. If you are wondering what other team was this bad the answer would be the 1894 Washington Senators. Yes, 1894.

Hunter Greene Gets Shelled, Reds Lose Again

Another day, another loss. Despite jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Cincinnati Reds only led for a matter of minutes on Thursdays in the series finale. A RBI single by Tyler Stephenson was followed by a two-run knock by Colin Moran to take an early advantage on the scoreboard. However, the Brewers immediately answered with back-to-back home runs to begin the game from Luis Urias and Christian Yelich. It was tied after the first inning.

Milwaukee would go on to add three more in the second and two in the third to chase Hunter Greene from the game. The rookie allowed five home runs — eight runs in total — on nine hits in just two and two-thirds innings. He is now 1-4 on the season with an 8.71 earned run average.

Tyler Stephenson homered in the fourth inning for the Reds and Brandon Drury drove in a run in the fifth, but the Brewers got both runs back on a Willy Adames long ball off of Art Warren. The final score was 10-5, extending the current losing streak to nine games. Cincinnati is now 3-22 on the season.