Chris Paddack Knows Exactly What Is Holding Him Back With Cincinnati Reds

Chris Paddack walked off the mound at Great American Ball Park on Saturday knowing he had pitched well enough to win.

The Cincinnati Reds right-hander gave his team five innings in the opener of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, but a few costly walks ended up sinking him in an 8-1 loss.

The 30-year-old took the defeat after giving up three earned runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts, and he was pretty up front afterward about what bugged him most.

"That's pretty much the only frustrating part of the whole outing, falling behind and counts that led to walks on guys you don't want on the bases," Paddack said. "We're so close to putting it all together, and I really do believe that."

Cincinnati signed Paddack on May 13 after the Miami Marlins designated him for assignment.

It was not a splashy move.

He had gone 0-5 with a 7.63 ERA over six starts in Miami before getting cut loose, and the Reds were running thin on healthy arms.

The hope was that a veteran with more than 100 career starts could give them steady innings until reinforcements showed up.

His first Reds outing came on May 16 against the Cleveland Guardians, where he gave them five solid innings with two runs and just one walk.

Saturday looked a lot like that one, except the walks crept up on him.

Through two starts in Cincinnati, Paddack has a 4.50 ERA across 10 innings, even though the team has yet to win when he takes the ball.

He sits at 0-6 with a 6.86 ERA on the season.

The Reds came into Saturday with a thinning rotation that has been beat up since spring.

Hunter Greene is still rehabbing from arthroscopic elbow surgery and is not expected back until July, while Rhett Lowder recently landed on the injured list with right shoulder discomfort.

Brandon Williamson has dealt with shoulder issues too, and Nick Lodolo missed time earlier this year with blister problems.

That leaves a lot of weight on Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, and a breakout Chase Burns to carry every fifth day.

Cincinnati sits at 27-25, chasing the Cardinals in an NL Central race that's still wide open. If Paddack can stay around the zone, manager Terry Francona stops scrambling.

The win column has not caught up with Paddack just yet, but the underlying stuff has been encouraging.

Francona praised his work after Cleveland, and the right-hander has held opposing hitters to mostly singles in his two appearances.

The walks are the real problem here.

Eight free passes in 10 innings is too many, and Paddack knows it.

Cut those down, and Cincinnati might have found the steady arm they were after.