Four hits across 19 innings won't fill a fanbase with confidence.
There has been a lot of discussion about the Cincinnati Reds healing from injuries and gaining momentum. Heck, I’ve pounded the drum of positivity around the team over the past couple of weeks, focusing on the guys the Reds were getting back while neglecting to acknowledge the players currently disappointing in a big way.
The Reds, after losing their second straight game to the Milwaukee Brewers, are now 2-15 against the NL Central this season, and manager Terry Francona is now under .500 as Cincinnati’s manager. The Redlegs scored just one run over the past two games, recording a total of four hits over 19 innings. The last time the Reds combined for just four hits was during their July series against the Philadelphia Phillies last season.
Over the last two games, Cincinnati’s best hitters — Sal Stewart, JJ Bleday, Eugenio Suarez, Spencer Steer, Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo — are a combined 0-for-32 at the plate. Feel free to add in Elly De La Cruz’s 0-for-3 night in his return from injury, and you get 0-for-35.
The return of Hunter Greene is imminent. Emilio Pagan is also nearing a comeback, while Elly De La Cruz and Pierce Johnson were both recently reinstated, with De La Cruz making his return in Tuesday night’s 2-0 loss to the Brewers. However, none of that matters if the Reds continue to trot out one of the worst offenses in the major leagues night in and night out. The worst part is that adding a bat at the trade deadline to supplement the lineup makes less and less sense, while a fire sale of movable assets looks more and more likely.
Now, much of the fan base is lobbying for institutional change, and it sounds like that sentiment is reaching further toward President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall than it ever has, as decisions involving star players such as Sal Stewart, Hunter Greene, Chase Burns and Elly De La Cruz loom in the near future, whether through trades or contract extensions.
Fans believe it isn’t wise to allow the people who have led the Reds to just one wild-card series since 2021 to continue leading the front office and eventually make franchise-altering decisions concerning the team’s best players, and it’s an understandable position.
Cincinnati is 37-41 and in last place in the NL Central, 11.5 games behind first place. After this three-game series with the Brewers, the Reds will play the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game series before traveling to Milwaukee for another three-game series against the Brewers.
Plenty of opportunities to make a dent in the NL Central race, but little hope that they can.
