It's been that kind of year for the Cincinnati Reds. Despite a solid start by the lineup and four perfect innings from the mound, the Reds lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-5, to drop the season record to 62-67.
Only 33 games to go.
1.) Bullpen Day
It was a bullpen day from the get-go. Buck Farmer took the hill for the start and sat down all six batters he faced. Then, Sam Moll came on. Three up, three down. Tony Santillan took the fourth. Same result.
The Reds had a combined perfect game through four innings.
Then, newly-recalled Alan Busenitz took over in the fifth. The Pirates' first three batters of the inning reached. However, the first out was an RBI by the Pirates. Then, another hit. Then, an error allowed another runner. Then, another RBI ground out before escaping the inning with a flyout.
Busenitz allowed four hits and four runs in the fifth. The Reds still led 5-4, so it wasn't the end of the world...yet.
Then, Justin Wilson came in. Ground-rule double. RBI single (5-5 now). Single. Sacrifice fly (6-5). After he managed a strikeout, he was pulled in favor of Fernando Cruz , who stranded Wilson's two runners.
In the next inning, Cruz surrendered a hit and a walk, but no runs. Alexis Diaz came on in the home eighth and walked the first batter he faced but then struck out the side.
Losing happens. Losing by one run happens. Blowing 5-0 leads shouldn't happen. The Reds set a new career-high with a five-run blown lead.
2. Unclutch
The Reds came up to bat in all nine innings. In seven of those innings, they managed at least one baserunner.
The lineup got off to a strong start. Tyler Stephenson mashed a two-out 436-footer in the top of the first. Then, after being sat down in order in the second, Santiago Espinal doubled to start the third and Noelvi Marte walked. However, the Reds failed a double-steal and Elly De La Cruz lined out to center.
The fourth? Superb. Stephenson infield single, Spencer Steer double, Ty France sac fly, Stuart Fairchild sacrifice, Amed Rosario single, Rosario stolen base, Espinal RBI single.
As mentioned above, the Reds led 5-0 after four. And that was it.
In the fifth, they managed a walk. In the sixth, sat down in order. The seventh started off well with a single but then a double play wiped it out. In the eighth, they got two runners with a walk and a single but nothing else.
They tried in the ninth. Will Benson hit a leadoff double. Jonathan India drew a two-out walk. Then, De La Cruz lined out to left to end the game with the tying run 90 feet away.
There are plenty of Reds fans, this author included, who see the Reds players through a, well, Reds-tinted lens. However, it has to be said that a 0-for-5 night from De La Cruz isn't going to get it done. He knows that, of course, but it has to be said.
Stephenson had a great game at the plate. He had two hits, a walk, and that RBI. Espinal logged his fourth three-hit game of the year and second in the last week. Over his last six games, Espinal is slashing .435/.458/.500 with 10 hits (two extra-base hits) and three RBI. He has 34 hits over his last 23 games.
Steer was the only other batter to reach more than once (a single and a walk).
In total, the lineup was 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Not ideal.
3. She Ain't Singing...But She's Humming a Few Warm-ups
With this loss, the Reds' playoff chances, according to FanGraphs , have dropped to 0.4%.
The Milwaukee Brewers are likely only a couple of weeks away from clinching the NL Central (which was out of the question for the Reds since May). And, if the Atlanta Braves go on a tear as well, the Reds could be mathematically eliminated around the time the Braves come to Cincinnati in the middle of September.
It's not looking great. The rotation is banged up, the lineup is still hot and cold, and the air just feels let out of the team.
Reds fans are tired of "maybe next year."
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