The Reds lose another series during a very inconsistent phase
In the bottom of the second inning on Sunday, Cincinnati Reds right fielder Will Benson missed a changeup, swung wide and slammed his bat to the ground, marking only his third-most frustrating at-bat of the game in a 7-4 loss to the Red Sox.
The Reds were on a winning streak through the first two weeks of June, but now they’re in the midst of another worrying stretch, having not won a series since June 9.
Over the last two weeks, the Reds have had their worst defense of the year, the bullpen has had a few bad games, and most of the hitters have been out of rhythm.
No one is struggling more than Benson, who hasn’t had a single hit in his last 21 at-bats. Benson has had trouble making contact with pitches in the strike zone, and despite being a platoon player, he is the player with the most strikeouts in MLB.
In the bottom of the fourth inning on Sunday, Benson stepped up to bat with two outs and two runners in scoring position. He scored the run that tied the game, but he grounded out and ended the inning. Later in the game, Benson was hit in the elbow by a pitch and left the game with an injury.
While first baseman Jeimer Candelario, second baseman Jonathan India and shortstop Elly De La Cruz have hit their stride, Benson, outfielder Jake Fraley, center fielder TJ Friedl and left fielder Spencer Steer have all been in slump over the past two weeks.
While much of the lineup is out of rhythm, defense has been the biggest problem. The Reds missed three potential double plays on Sunday. On one of them, India’s throw to first base sailed wide right and landed on the Reds’ bench.
On paper, the series finale against the Red Sox looked like a great opportunity for the Reds. The Reds’ best starting pitcher, Nick Lodolo, was on the mound and the Red Sox were playing a bullpen game.
Lodolo had one of his worst performances of the year, allowing four runs, three earned, with four walks in 4 ⅔ innings. The turning point was a missed strike-three call in the fourth inning. Instead of a strikeout, the Red Sox got a runner on base. One pitch later, Boston catcher Connor Wong hit a home run to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. From there, the inning went off the rails, as Lodolo allowed four runs and Reds manager David Bell was eventually ejected for arguing about balls and strikes.
All four of Lodolo’s walks were full counts. And all four of his walks were on his fastball. Even though his breaking ball is his best pitch, he didn’t throw that pitch when he had a chance to strike out batters.
The Reds made a comeback with RBI hits from Tyler Stephenson, Santiago Espinal and Stuart Fairchild, but the Reds bullpen also allowed three runs in the sixth inning, making the game virtually out of reach.
The Reds are nearing the midpoint of the season and are 36-41, alone in last place in the NL Central and just three games out of a wild-card spot.
“Blood is life until it is given; then it is love”
Rainbow Book Bus reacts colorfully to bans
Panama scores famous victory over USA at CONMEBOL Copa América™
About The Author
