The Reds have struggled badly at the plate in their recent stretch and just lost their fifth consecutive series.
Since the start of May, the Cincinnati Reds have been one of the worst teams in baseball. After a strong opening to their season, they have gone 13-26 since May 1st.
Their offense has been almost entirely bleak. On Sunday, their loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks marked their fifth consecutive series loss.
Not much has gone in favor of the Reds, and their loss Sunday marked a missed opportunity to build some momentum and put a brief halt on the skid. Instead, their offensive struggles continued to bite them.
Reds manager Terry Francona noted that runs do not come easy for the team. He was straightforward when asked about the state of the Reds’ offense in their recent stretch.
“I think inconsistent is very fair. Sometimes for us, runs are harder to come by than we want them to be,” Francona said, according to Chatterbox Sports. “It’s not a lack of effort, it’s just a little bit challenging at times.”
Cincinnati’s offensive concerns have become much more significant, especially when playing at Great American Ball Park. As a team, the Reds own a combined .217 batting average when playing at home — a shocking number for a hitter-friendly ballpark.
In the month of June, their woes have only gotten worse than what was in May. Since the start of June, the Reds are hitting .134 with runners in scoring position, which was something that hurt them in their most recent series loss.
Somehow, Cincinnati has also yet to score more than five runs in a game in June. They also have not won back-to-back games since they did so against the New York Mets on May 25th and 26th.
Notably, the team has been without their star hitter Elly De La Cruz since May 31st, who suffered a strained right hamstring. Without his bat in the order, the Reds have yet to find much luck offensively.
One of the few bright spots has been outfielder Noelvi Marte’s production, as he hit a home run in each game of their weekend series. Francona was impressed from what he saw from the 24-year-old.
“When he swings at pitches over the plate, he can do some pretty special things,” Francona said. “It is a small sample, but I’d much rather see that, talk about that then be like, ‘Well he’s not doing anything.’”
Cincinnati will now turn their attention to a three-game set against the Mets, looking to get back on track as they continue their home stand.
