Terry Francona Reacts After Reds Suffer Historic Loss

The Cincinnati Reds have had rough stretches this season, but nothing that looked like Friday night in Milwaukee.

Starter Andrew Abbott lasted just two innings, gave up nine hits and eight earned runs with two home runs, and the Brewers kept piling on until the final score read 20-0.

Combined with a 14-1 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday, the Reds were outscored 34-1 across two games, making them the first National League team outscored by that margin in a two-game span since 1933.

Left-handed pitcher Abbott entered the game having lost three of his last five starts, and his line for the night was as bad as it gets.

He faced 15 batters to get through two innings and gave up damage on nearly every swing.

His ERA over his last eight starts has ballooned to 7.96, and the outing dropped the Reds to 69-78 on the season.

Abbott did not try to deflect blame after the game.

He told reporters in the clubwhouse that there was nothing else to point to besides his own performance.

"I’m not one for excuses," Abbott said. "I slept plenty. I got plenty of rest. I recovered. That stuff is going to happen. There’s no excuse for that.”

Owning the outing like that is the right response from a young pitcher in his worst stretch of the season, but it does not change the fact that the Reds have a real pitching problem that goes well beyond one bad start.

With Hunter Greene still out and Abbott's recent struggles showing no signs of turning around, the rotation outlook heading into next season is a real concern.

Manager Terry Francona was asked postgame by reporters whether the team's travel schedule played a role in the loss, with the Reds having just come in from a road trip before the Milwaukee series.

Francona did not dodge the question but also did not let anyone off the hook.

He said the travel was not an excuse and that the coaching staff owns the result just as much as the players.

He called the loss what it was, saying it was not a lot of fun to be a part of and that the Brewers simply kept coming.

At 69-78, the Reds are well out of the playoff race, and the second half has been about evaluating young players and figuring out what needs to change before 2027.

Nights like Thursday make that evaluation considerably harder because the results are so extreme that it is difficult to pull anything useful out of the wreckage on either side of the ball.

The Reds still have 15 days left in the season, and the focus has to be on getting something positive out of the remaining games.

The front office may be leaning toward selling pieces before next season if the young arms do not show improvement, and Abbott's recent stretch has not helped his case.

The 20-0 loss will fade from memory eventually, but the questions it raised about this pitching staff are going to carry into the offseason.