On April 21, the Reds traveled to Miami to face a lowly Marlins team. The stretch of winnable series continued through this week’s series against the Atlanta Braves. But over that five series stretch against beatable teams, the Reds only managed to win one series.
After a 3-0 loss in the series opener in Houston, the Reds have a 19-21 record.
“You’ve got to keep grinding,” second baseman Matt McLain said. “There’s times when we’re on the other side of it. It’s a long season and you just got to put your head down and keep going to work.”
The losses recently have been particularly grueling, frustrating or heartbreaking.
An error by reliever Graham Ashcraft cost the Reds a game in Miami, and Alexis Díaz pitched the Reds out of two games during this stretch before he was sent down to Triple-A. The Reds dropped both games of a doubleheader at home against the Cardinals, including a shaky debut from rookie Chase Petty.
Petty was pressed into action due to a rainout the previous night, and he allowed nine runs in 2⅓ innings.
Against the Nationals last weekend, the Reds won the series opener. But they went on to lose the next two games because of a cataclysmic sixth inning full of self-inflicted mistakes in the field on Saturday followed by a seventh-inning meltdown the following day.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
As recently as May 2, the Reds were three games over .500. But they’ve lost that momentum since then.
“I don’t get caught up in the last (few days),” manager Terry Francona said. “I really don’t. Whether we’ve played good, bad or in between, you learn from how you played and move on. That’s how I always feel. I want them to come in the door every day ready to go and feeling good regardless of how we did yesterday. That’s the whole idea.”
The Braves series was full of more frustrating moments and self-inflicted mistakes.
In the series opener in Atlanta, the Reds nearly got no-hit by a 22-year-old pitcher without much of a track record of success in the big leagues. The following night, reliever Emilio Pagán blew the save in the ninth because the Reds weren’t able to execute a relay throw on a line drive to right field.
They let a runner score from first when there should have been no chance for that to happen. The loss in Game 2 of the four-game series clinched no series win for the Reds in Atlanta.
Then in Thursday’s series finale, a blown save plus a missed catch in right field in the ninth inning and a bunt that Blake Dunn couldn’t successfully lay down in the 11th led to another walk-off win for the Braves.
“The guys are battling,” said starting pitcher Andrew Abbott, whose great start on Tuesday went unrewarded. “It might not be going in our favor right now. Tomorrow is a new day. We’ll turn the page.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
To make this an even more difficult stretch for the Reds, they’ve lost Austin Hays, Jeimer Candelario, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Noelvi Marte, Tyler Callihan and Hunter Greene to injuries. Their depth is already significantly being tested.
The Reds salvaged a win in Atlanta on Wednesday as center fielder TJ Friedl crushed two homers, but Greene’s groin injury put a damper on the result.
All season, it’s been a challenge for the Reds to really get rolling.
“We had some heartbreakers,” Tyler Stephenson said. “The beauty of this game is tomorrow is a new day and a new series.”
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