KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Snap 11-Game Losing Streak

And this one belongs to the Reds. That beautiful phrase hadn’t been uttered since the opening series of the season when the Cincinnati Reds won 6-3 in Atlanta against the Braves on April 10th. After a painful 11-game losing streak where only 21 runs were scored, the Reds got back in the win column with a 4-1 victory against the rival St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.

Reds fans will get to celebrate the win a little while longer with an off-day on Monday before welcoming the San Diego Padres to Great American Ball Park for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. EST with Reiver Sanmartin taking the ball opposite Joe Musgrove. The Padres, which just recently swept the Reds in San Diego, are currently 10-6 pending Sunday’s result with the Dodgers. Cincinnati now sits at 3-13, still the worst mark in Major League Baseball.

Hunter Greene Struggles, Reds Lose Again

It is an unfair amount of pressure to put on a rookie, but Hunter Greene is one of the lone bright spots in this Cincinnati Reds season. However, on Friday night, he struggled on the mound and only made it through three and one-third innings. Sitting at “just” 96-97 miles per hour it was clear early on that Greene wasn’t his normal self. It was unfortunate timing as it was his Great American Ball Park debut, but more importantly, the Reds simply needed a win. The Cardinals sent him packing after recording three runs on four hits. Greene also walked four batters.

Paul Goldschmidt was a thorn in the side of Cincinnati as has become customary over the years. The six-time All-Star was 3-5 at the plate with a pair of runs batted in.

A solid performance by the Reds bullpen actually allowed for a chance to get back into the game. After trailing 4-0 going to the bottom of the fifth inning, Brandon Drury singled in a run to get on the scoreboard. Then, in the ninth, the tying run would actually come to the plate after a RBI groundout by Kyle Farmer. However, it was too little, too late and the Cincinnati Reds lost once again 4-2.

Shutout Extends Losing Streak to 11 Games

After what essentially was an offensive explosion for the Cincinnati Reds on Friday compared to the last week or so, they were back to their old ways on Saturday afternoon. St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dakota Hudson was dominant needing just 92 pitches to get through six and two-thirds innings. Hudson allowed just two hits in his shutout performance.

There really was almost no bright spot in this one for the Reds. Tyler Mahle exited after just four and one-third innings of work allowing five hits and walking three batters. Cincy’s opening day start is now 1-2 with a 6.88 earned run average. At the plate for the Cardinals, it was Paul Goldschmidt once again delivering a crushing blow. A two-run double into the left-center field gap in the sixth inning made it a 4-0 game. St. Louis would go on to win 5-0.

The shutout was the Reds’ second in the last three games. They have now failed to score more than two runs in a game since April 14th — the opening game of the west coast road trip in Los Angeles where they pushed three across. It is beginning to sound like a broken record, but Cincinnati is in historically bad territory with their offensive performance right now.

And This One Belongs to the Reds!!!

One of the worst stretches in recent Cincinnati Reds history is finally over. An 11-game losing streak was snapped on Sunday afternoon as the Reds took down the Cardinals to avoid a sweep at Great American Ball Park. After barely leading during the course of the losing streak, Cincy went wire-to-wire in this one.

Every facet of the game stepped up to secure the victory against rival St. Louis. Timely, situational hitting got the Reds on the board early. On the mound, left-hander Nick Lodolo turned in his best performance yet as a big leaguer. The top prospect went five and two-thirds innings allowing just one run on five hits while striking out seven batters. He looked like a star in the making on Sunday. Behind Lodolo in the bullpen, Tony Santillan, Art Warren, and Lucas Sims combined for three and one-third innings of shutout baseball to slam the door shut. Sims recorded the save while Lodolo picked up his first MLB victory.

Collin Moran got the scoring started at the plate with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first. Nick Senzel followed him up with a RBI single to give the Reds a 2-0 early advantage. Tyler Naquin added to it with a RBI ground out in the second. Recording two of the first three runs via an out show signs of improved plate discipline by the Cincinnati Reds batters. In the sixth, after the Cardinals got one run on the board, Cincy immediately answered in the bottom half of the inning with another RBI from the designated hitter Moran. That score of 4-1 would hold on for the final.