PITTSBURGH –– There’s no easy fix to turn around a slumping Cincinnati Reds offense.
There’s no promising bench player ready to grow into a bigger role. The Reds already tried shaking up the lineup. Their prospects in Triple-A are still developing.
The Reds lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-1, on Saturday at PNC Park as Cincinnati’s losing streak grew to five games. Reds starting pitcher Luis Cessa was serviceable against the Pirates, overcoming some poor outfield defense and allowing two runs in 4 ⅔ innings.
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But every time the Reds’ offense got within striking distance, the Reds struck out. The Reds wasted eight hits by striking out 12 times. Their only run scored because of a fielding error by Pirates center fielder Ji Hwan Bae.
First baseman Wil Myers, the experienced power hitter who became the Reds’ biggest offseason addition in three years, continued his rough stretch at the plate. In the first inning, Myers stepped up to the plate with two outs and two runners on base. Myers had the opportunity to get the struggling Reds an early lead and the rare chance to play from ahead.
He struck out, whiffing at a curveball in the strike zone. Then in the third inning, he struck out again with two runners on base.
Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson built a reputation as a polished hitter early in his career, but he hasn’t looked like himself this week. He had two ugly strikeouts on off-balanced swings in key moments on Saturday. The Reds see him as their best run producer, but Stephenson hasn’t hit for much power in 2023 and has been in the middle of one of the biggest slumps of his career recently.
Reds manager David Bell was more aggressive than usual to try to spark the offense. In the top of the sixth inning, the Reds had a runner on first with two outs. It was an unlikely scenario to score a run, but Bell brought in his best pinch-hitter anyway. T.J. Friedl extended the inning with a single, but leadoff hitter Jonathan India struck out to end the sixth without a run scoring.
Bell made another aggressive move in the eighth, pinch-hitting Jake Fraley for catcher Luke Maile. The Reds gave up their designated hitter and had to move Tyler Stephenson behind the plate. With no one on base, Fraley grounded out to first.
Takeaways from Reds vs. Pirates
1. With how much the Reds’ offense is slumping, they can’t afford to make any mistakes on defense. But for the second straight game, Jose Barrero cost the Reds a run. Barrero, who was starting in center field on Saturday, attempted a diving catch in shallow center field on a flare by Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes in the first inning. Barrero took a jagged route to the ball, mistimed his slide and saw the ball roll right by him. Hayes saw a single turn into a triple, and he scored on a sacrifice fly as the Pirates took a 1-0 lead.
2. Cessa was coming off the worst statistical start of his MLB career. He executed the adjustments he had been working on and had a solid outing. Cessa used his fastball much more often, attacking hitters with a more aggressive approach. That helped set up low-and-away sliders. Cessa looked like the best version of himself as a starting pitcher, and he would have had an even better final line had it not been for Barrrero’s mistake in center field.
3. Nick Senzel made the first start of his career in right field. The Reds stacked their lineup with right-handed hitters against a left-handed Pirates starter. So Kevin Newman started at shortstop, Barrero was in center and Senzel moved over to right. It looked like an adjustment for him at the new position. He was slow to field balls off the wall, and he missed the cut man a few times.
Stat of the day
Pirates starting pitcher Rich Hill is not known as a strikeout pitcher. Last year, he only had seven-or-more strikeouts in a game three times. He has already had two seven strikeout games against the Reds in 2023.
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