It was 35 minutes of pain. Thirty-five minutes where the Cincinnati Reds reached the low point in their 2021 season.
The San Francisco Giants scored nine runs on six hits and three walks in the top of the third inning. The Reds needed three pitchers to record three outs. The only cheers from the crowd of 11,656 at Great American Ball Park were of the sarcastic variety after it took eight batters before the first out of the inning.
Who knew a sunny, 87-degree afternoon at the ballpark could look so dark?
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The Reds were swept in their four-game series against the Giants this week after their 19-4 loss Thursday. It was the first time the Giants swept the Reds in a series of any length in Cincinnati since 1999 and the first four-game series sweep since May 12-15, 1985.
It was the most runs the Reds have allowed in a game at GABP since the ballpark opened in 2003 and the most runs allowed in a home game since a 19-5 loss to the Montreal Expos on May 7, 1978.
San Francisco has the best record in the Majors this year, but the Reds were outplayed in all phases this week. Their defense let them down in a loss Monday with two errors and a few other misplays. Their offense scored six runs in their four losses in their home ballpark. Their pitching imploded in the third inning Thursday. They had outs on the basepaths.
Injuries have taken a toll on the Reds’ lineup with Joey Votto and Mike Moustakas on the 10-day injured list, and Nick Senzel sidelined for the last three games. The offense, which carried the team in the first month of the season, has totaled 11 runs against opposing starting pitching in their last 10 games (59 1/3 innings).
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“I would have to say, as a collective group, we aren't doing too good of a job of getting the pitch that we want to hit,” said Nick Castellanos, who leads the league with a .347 batting average “A lot of soft contact. A lot of, even when we're in front of the count, still sometimes expanding and hitting a pitcher's pitch. But at the end of the day, they drive nice cars too.”
The Reds are four games under .500 and sit in fourth place in the National League Central. They won six of their first seven games of the season and they own a 13-22 record since then.
At their current 19-23 record, they’re on a 73-win pace.
They’re a team still searching for their identity. Their starting pitching has been a mixed bag. The bullpen entered Thursday with the third-highest ERA (4.97) in the NL. The offense has cooled after its hot start.
The Reds lost key depth in the offseason when ownership opted to cut payroll. They lost two members of their starting rotation, two arms in the back of their bullpen and a couple of hitters off their bench. They didn’t even fill their hole at shortstop during the winter.
Contrast that with the Giants, who had a 6-1 record vs. the Reds in their season series. The Giants dominate teams with their starting pitching and solid defense. They have four former Reds pitchers in their rotation: Johnny Cueto, Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood. They signed three of those pitchers last winter.
“I think we’re OK with some things that we’ve had go on,” Sonny Gray said earlier this week. “For me, I’ve thrown 30 innings and I’ve done OK and we’ve done OK as a team. We haven’t caught our stride. We just continue to show up, put the work in and play. Hopefully, getting some guys back here soon will be a boost to us.”
Tyler Mahle, the Reds’ top pitcher this season, allowed seven hits and seven runs in two innings. It was his shortest start since 2018 and he matched a career-high in runs allowed.
All six batters Mahle faced in the third inning reached base (four singles, two walks). He didn’t have command of a putaway pitch when he worked ahead in counts and he was replaced by Feliz in a 4-0 game with the bases loaded and no outs.
Giants outfielder Steven Duggar hammered Feliz’s seventh pitch for a grand slam and the rout was on. It was ugly for Reds pitchers. Darin Ruf was a triple shy of the cycle by the third inning. Brandon Crawford drove in six runs. Mike Yastrzemski scored four runs without a hit.
The Reds needed position players, Alex Blandino and Max Schrock, to pitch the final two innings. It was the first time the Reds used more than one position player to pitch in a game, according to Elias Sports Bureau, since Oct. 4, 1902 in an 11-2 loss to Pittsburgh.
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