The Reds Report: April 30

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AP Photo: Morry Gash[/caption] The good news: Cincinnati won today. The bad news: Cincinnati lost every other game they played since Monday. When the Reds opened the season 7-2, fans knew the team wouldn't keep up that level of success. However, no one was expecting them to look as bad as they have over the past week. Cincinnati is 2-8 in their last 10 games, and they now find themselves at the bottom of the NL Central. Better times are ahead, but it's been a frustrating few weeks to follow the team. Let's get to this week's Reds Report.

The Offense is Getting the Job Done

There are reasons why Cincinnati is struggling right now. However, the offense isn't one of them. Prior to Sunday's game, the Reds ranked fairly well in a number of statistical categories. Here's how they compared with other National League teams.

5th most runs scored
5th most home runs
3rd most stolen bases
4th best slugging percentage

On an individual level, Joey Votto and Scott Schebler were tied for the second-most home runs in the NL with eight. Adam Duvall was tied for third with seven. The team might not have won many games this week, but that's not because of the offense. This week alone, the team scored four or more runs in every game except one.

Speaking of Scott Schebler

After a rough start to the season, Schebler has been one of the hottest hitters in Cincinnati's lineup. In Schebler's last five games he's hitting .444/.500/1.333 with 5 HR and 9 RBI. Over the first 17 games of the season, Schebler was hitting .153/.242/.339 with 3 HR and 7 RBI. C. Trent Rosecrans took some time this week to highlight Bryan Price's confidence in Schebler as an everyday player. That confidence, plus some patience on Price's part, looks like it could be reaping some rewards right now.

Zack Cozart's Hot Start

Zack Cozart is another player who has impressed with his production at the plate this season. For much of his career, Cozart was seen as a defensive asset but an offensive liability. However, over the past two seasons, he's given the Reds something close to league average production at the plate. In 2017, Cozart has been one of the team's best hitters. Prior to Sunday's game, he was hitting .379/.475/.652 with 1 HR, 11 R, and 9 RBI. Mark Sheldon looked at Cozart's hot start and noted that a few stats suggest he won't sustain this pace (that should have been obvious). For now, the team is enjoying this unexpected production from their shortstop. If nothing else, this could increase his trade value as the season progresses.

Cincinnati's Pitchers are on a "Record Breaking Pace"

The past few seasons, if someone mentioned "Reds pitchers" and "major league record" it wasn't a good thing. That could hold true once again in 2017. Wick Terrell of Red Reporter looked at the high work rate of the Reds bullpen so far. If this keeps up, Cincinnati relievers might throw the most innings in one season in the history of baseball. As of Thursday, Reds starters were averaging 4.1 innings per start. That's a paltry number, and it's put Bryan Price in a difficult position. Why have Reds starters pitched so few innings? As of Sunday morning, Cincinnati starters had the worst ERA in baseball (5.85), had allowed the third most home runs of any group of starting pitchers, and had given up the sixth most runs. The 2012 Rockies currently hold the record for the most innings thrown by relievers in a season (657). Prior to Sunday's game, Reds relievers had already thrown 97.1 innings.

Podcast Recommendation: Great American Dream

For the podcast fans among us, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer debuted a new project this week. It's called "Great American Dream." Over the next six months, Rosecrans will detail the story of Reds prospect Shed Long. The show will look at Long's background, and trace the long journey through the minor leagues that so many players make trying to accomplish their dream of reaching the majors.

MLB Highlight of the Week

Chris Coghlan of the Blue Jays made this a pretty easy pick this week.

"I told you I wasn't gonna slide." - Chris Coghlan. pic.twitter.com/DQIG1qAYm2
– MLB (@MLB) April 26, 2017

The Reds host the Pirates for four games starting on Monday night. Over the weekend, they'll welcome the Giants to Great American Ball Park. You can read Eric’s writing all season long at Red Reporter and Baseball Prospectus. He also hosts the On Baseball Writing Podcast and appears on the Red Reporter podcast.