KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Swept by Baltimore Orioles

When the week began, the Cincinnati Reds were 16-13 after beating the Padres 5-2 on Monday night. Since then, it feels like the wheels have fallen off. A season-high five game losing streak ensued as the Reds would drop below .500 for the first time this season following Saturday’s loss. Then, things went from bad to worse on Sunday as the Baltimore Orioles capped off a weekend sweep with a dominating 11-1 win. Cincinnati managed just two runs in the series and at one point reached a 26-inning scoreless streak at Great American Ball Park dating back to April 25th’s shutout against the Phillies.

The Reds narrowly avoided being shutout for the fourth time in their last 13 games as their record has dropped to 16-18 overall. As a team, the batting average sits at .213. Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott did their parts on Friday and Saturday respectively to give their team a chance to win. However, scoring one run across an entire weekend makes it impossible to find success.

Failure is a big part of baseball and there will be lulls like this throughout a 162-game season. However, that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow when you are in the midst of it. Cincinnati will take a much-needed day off to regroup on Monday before returning to play on Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nick Martinez is slated to start the series opener with a 6:40 p.m. Eastern Time first pitch. Graham Ashcraft and Hunter Greene are also set to pitch in the series. The Reds will then embark on a 10-game, 10-day west coast road trip. These next two weeks could prove to a pivotal period when we look back on this season.

Another Shoutout in Series Opening Loss

Hunter Greene wasn’t as sharp as his last time out, but he gave the Cincinnati Reds a chance to win. The 24-year old threw five and two-thirds shutout innings before handing the ball over the bullpen. Emilio Pagan was roughed up in the seventh inning as the Baltimore Orioles got on the board via a RBI double from Adley Rutschman. Then, Ryan O’Hearn belted a two-run home run that made it a 3-0 game. Due to the Reds’ continued inability to hit, those three runs would prove to be plenty for Baltimore.

Cincinnati managed just two hits on Friday night both coming off the bat of Elly De La Cruz. Four Reds in Friday’s starting lineup hold a batting average below the Mendoza line. Jake Fraley and De La Cruz are the only players above .250. The lack of offense has become a major issue. However, it wasn’t quite as embarrassing on Friday as Orioles starter Cole Ervin has essentially been throwing up zeros against everyone. His six and one-third innings against the Reds extended his scoreless inning streak to a whopping 20 and two-thirds. Meanwhile, Hunter Greene is on a streak of his own tossing 15 and one-third consecutive scoreless innings. If and when the bats get going the Reds will be a force to be reckoned with.

Offensive Woes Continue for the Reds

Through 33 games this season, the Cincinnati Reds have scored two or fewer runs 10 times. For those keeping track at home, that is nearly one-third of the games. When you can’t put runs on the board it is incredibly difficult to sustain any level of success. Unfortunately, the Reds are staring that reality in the face right now. Another abysmal performance at the plate put the Reds under .500 for the first time this season as their current losing streak hit a season-high four games.

Once again, the pitching staff was good enough on the mound to win the game. In fact, they were excellent. Andrew Abbott made two mistakes, allowing home runs to Jorge Mateo and Adley Rutschman, but that was it for the game. Abbott, Nick Martinez, Lucas Sims, and Sam Moll combined to strike the Orioles out 13 times. However, the Reds mustered just one run on Saturday night. Baltimore starter John Means threw seven shutout innings as the scoreless inning streak for the Reds creeped up to 26 total innings at Great American Ball Park. There was at least some life in the bottom of the ninth, but it didn’t amount to enough.

Spencer Steer singled to right field scoring Jake Fraley to make it a one run game in the final frame. Bubba Thompson represented the tying run at third base with one out. Eventually, the bases were loaded with still just one away as Christian Encarnacion-Strand came to the plate. However, he went down swinging and Jeimer Candelario flied out to left field to end the game and leave the bases loaded as the Reds lost to the Orioles 2-1. Cincinnati has managed to score just seven total runs during their now four game losing streak.

Reds Swept by Orioles Following a Blowout Loss

It wasn’t a shutout, but Sunday’s game was downright ugly for fans of the Cincinnati Reds. Jake Fraley put one on the board in the bottom of the ninth inning to avoid a second shutout of the series. However, the Reds still managed just three hits in the game and scored only two runs in the entire series. Unlike Friday and Saturday where the pitching staff was locked in gave the team a chance to win, it was an all systems failure on Sunday at Great American Ball Park.

Nick Lodolo has been mostly lights out this season, but he was hit around early on by the Orioles on Sunday. A first inning RBI single was followed by a two-run home run Jordan Westburg to give Baltimore a 3-0 advantage. They tagged Lodolo for one more in the fifth via a Adley Rutschman double. Then, the flood gates really opened in the later innings.

Ryan McKenna went deep in the off of Brent Suter and Rutschman drove in another run making it a 6-0 game. In the ninth, Anthony Santander capped off an ugly weekend for the Reds with a grand slam home run that ballooned the Orioles lead up to 11-0. The 11-1 loss would mark the 11th time this season, in 34 games, that the Cincinnati Reds have failed to score more than two runs. That is not a recipe for playing winning baseball.