Terry Francona Challenges Reds to Respond After Another Rough Night

The Cincinnati Reds have had plenty of rough nights this season, but Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park was one that stung a little more than most.

Cincinnati struck out 18 times, went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position, and left 10 runners on base in a game that felt like it got away from them before it ever really started.

Afterwards, Reds manager Terry Francona addressed his team's struggles and pushed back on the idea that one bad night should bleed into the next day.

"I don't want these guys coming in, dragging. It's not gonna help," Francona said. "They care. I care. The coaches care, but it doesn't help. We'll do early hitting tomorrow like we always do and try to keep after them, keep at'em. We want to do better. We need to do better."

The loss dropped Cincinnati to 41-49 on the year, last in the NL Central and 17 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers.

It has been a dramatic fall for a team that opened the season at 20-11, because since May 1 the Reds have posted a league-worst 21-38 record that has turned them from one of baseball's best stories into one of its biggest disappointments.

Cincinnati's bats have largely gone quiet since that hot start, and the bullpen has not helped either, posting one of the worst ERA's in the league, which has made it nearly impossible to hold onto close games.

Injuries have only piled on, with Blake Dunn hitting the injured list with a right elbow sprain and Eugenio Suárez dealing with a hand injury after getting hit by a pitch late last month.

Even at 41-49, the door has not completely shut on a postseason return.

Cincinnati earned a Wild Card spot last year by going on a tear in September, and the Reds still have about 72 games left on their schedule.

They sit roughly eight games behind the third NL Wild Card spot, which is a lot of ground to make up but not impossible for a team that already knows what it looks like when things click.

The talent is there, which is what makes this stretch so frustrating for Francona and his staff.

Chase Burns is 10-1 on the season and is having one of the best years of any starter in the league, Elly De La Cruz remains one of the most exciting players in baseball, and Sal Stewart was just named an All-Star in his rookie season.

The pieces are there, but the Reds need the bats to wake up soon with the trade deadline approaching and decisions to make about whether they buy, sell, or try to stand pat.

Francona has no plans to let this team quit on itself, and his words after Tuesday's loss sounded more like a challenge than a complaint.

The question now is whether the rest of the lineup can pick things up before this season gets any further away from them.