Through 28 games a year ago, the Reds were 5-23. After a 5-4 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Sunday, the Reds were 12-16 entering the second part of a six-game West Coast road trip Monday in San Diego.
Here’s a breakdown of the first month:
Where they are: The Reds trailed the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates (20-9), who have the best record in the National League, by 7½ games through Sunday. The Reds are 2-5 against the Pirates. The Reds are 3½ games back in the wild-card race.
What’s next: After a three-game series against the Padres (15-14), the Reds return home Friday to start a six-game homestand against the Chicago White Sox (8-21) and New York Mets (15-12). The Reds play 12 of their 29 games in May at Great American Ball Park.
Best starting pitcher: Graham Ashcraft (2-0, 2.10 ERA) started five games in April and led the staff with 30 innings pitcher.
Hunter Greene (1-0, 2.86) also put up strong numbers but did not pitch past the sixth inning in any of his six starts. He compiled 28 innings. Nick Lodolo (2-1, 6.16) allowed four earned runs in his first three starts and 17 earned runs in his next three starts.
Overall, Reds starters have a 5.98 ERA. That ranks 27th in baseball out of 30 teams.
Best reliever: Alex Young, who the Reds signed as a free agent in January, has a 0.71 ERA in 11 appearances. Reds relievers rank 12th in baseball with a 3.55 ERA.
Best hitters: Second baseman Jonathan India leads the team in on-base percentage (.393) and runs scored (22). He’s hitting .285 (29 for 101) with 16 walks.
• Center fielder TJ Friedl (28 for 93, .301) is the only starter hitting over .300.
Worst stat: The Reds rank 28th in baseball with 19 home runs. They have five home runs in the last 15 days, the lowest total in baseball during that span.
Best stat: The Reds rank 12th in baseball in on-base percentage (.330). Last year, they ranked 24th (.304).
Best roster news: Nick Senzel has hit .278 (15 for 54) with two home runs since returning from the injured list on April 13.
Worst roster news: Joey Votto has yet to make his season debut for the Reds. He hit .184 (7 for 38) in a rehab assignment for the Triple-A Louisville Bats before returning to Cincinnati to continue his work.
Best stretch: The Reds won a season-high five straight games last week, sweeping the Texas Rangers on the road and then winning the first two games in Oakland.
Worst stretch: Prior to that winning streak, the Reds lost six games in a row, losing 10-0 and then 8-0 to the Tampa Bay Rays (23-6) and then suffering a four-game sweep in Pittsburgh.
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