The Cincinnati Reds have ranked 30th in MLB for batting average, hits per game and strikeouts per game this season.
The Cincinnati Reds have not been living up to their historic "Big Red Machine" mantra this season, ranking 30th in MLB for batting average (.226), hits per game (7.49) and strikeouts per game (9.52).
Moreover, the Reds have fallen 7.5 games behind the final NL Wild Card spot while ranking fifth in the NL Central and going 60-66 overall.
The team's struggles have been evident during their series against the division rival St. Louis Cardinals who won two out of the first three games thus far.
Before both teams met for the third time on Tuesday, manager Terry Francona admitted to the media how the Reds' lineup has floundered whenever star shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Rookie of the Year candidate Sal Stewart are unable to produce.
"Truthfully, I’d prefer him [Elly De La Cruz] not to be [hitting leadoff],” Francona told Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard. "I’m not taking a shot at him. He can hit anywhere he wants. He’s good. I don’t know that right now we have a guy who we feel like could do that every day. When him and Sal [Stewart] don’t get hits, it gets pretty glaring for us. That’s a big load for them. Not altogether fair."
The Reds came up short 2-1 during game one of a doubleheader on Monday as Dane Myers went yard to left field in the fourth inning for their lone run of the matchup.
De La Cruz would walk it off in game two with a ground-ball single for a 6-5 victory in extra innings, but Cincinnati's pitfalls resurfaced on Tuesday as they suffered a 3-0 shutout loss at the hands of St. Louis right-hander Kyle Leahy who fanned six Reds through five innings pitched.
That day, Stewart went just 1-for-4 at the plate, hitting a single in the first inning while De La Cruz went 0-for-4 in his respective at-bats. Eugenio Suárez went hitless as well, striking out swinging on an 89-mph slider in the first.
For Suárez, that was not the only instance where he has struggled at the plate. During the team's Aug. 12 matchup against the Chicago White Sox, he went 0-for-4, striking out three times.
Noelvi Marte has been in a slump of his own, hitting .189 and logging a .550 OPS that got him demoted to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.
Matt McLain also has some work to do, having batted .192 while recording a .632 OPS.
With the Reds still vying to make a late playoff push, finding their groove is a must given that the rival Pittsburgh Pirates are trying to do the same and hold a 1.5-game advantage over Cincinnati. Furthermore, the Cardinals lie 4.5 games ahead and rank third in the division.
The Reds will have a key get-right opportunity tonight at 6:40 p.m. EDT when 23-year-old ace Chase Burns toes the rubber against Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore who has compiled a 5.07 ERA.
