The struggling Cincinnati Reds squander a big lead against the Pirates and lose the sixth of the last 8 games
Watch Cincinnati Reds legend Joey Votto discuss his retirement from MLB
Cincinnati Reds legend Joey Votto retired from baseball on Wednesday night and met the team in Toronto.
PITTSBURGH – MLB’s official uniform manufacturer sent tailors into the Cincinnati Reds’ locker room on Friday to take measurements for their 2025 uniforms.
That’s true. Even the college officials are telling the Reds that it’s time to think about next year.
Let’s talk about rubbing it in people’s faces.
The Reds were already reeling from the injury-related loss of star player Hunter Greene and the breakdowns that led to five devastating losses in less than a week. The message appeared on the locker room whiteboard around the same time they received word that starter Andrew Abbott (shoulder) had also been placed on Greene’s injured list.
“This is a punch in the gut,” said Nick Martinez, the Reds’ only remaining starting pitcher.
Greene could be ready to return to action by the end of the week. A second opinion on his sore elbow confirmed the original diagnosis, which manager David Bell said was the “best-case scenario” and cleared Greene to return to training.
But “too little, too late” seems to be too mild a description of what the Reds’ season will look like when he gets there.
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A typical example: Friday night in Pittsburgh.
This time the Reds didn’t let themselves be defeated.
Instead, they squandered a five-run lead and lost a game for the first time in almost a year: They lost 6-5 to the Pirates and fell back to five games under .500 (62-67) with 33 games left to play.
They would have to go 22-11 to win the 84 games it took the last two teams to make the National League playoffs last year.
This means that mathematically they are not eliminated from the playoffs – nor from a season with 100 losses.
“There are a lot of things going against us at the moment,” said batsman Jonathan India. “We are not in the swing of things and there are a few injuries. The game is not rewarding us at the moment.”
If anything, the pitcher injuries are reminiscent of the mad scramble this time last year to find enough strong bodies and arms in the system to survive a sudden and surprising race to the playoffs.
“Last year, hitting held everything together,” India said. “This year, it was pitching. Now that they’re going down, hitting has to take over. We’ve got to figure out how to hit now.”
With reliever Buck Farmer starting as opener in place of Abbott, the Reds batters built a 5-0 lead after four innings.
Then they blew a five-point lead for the first time since September 23 of last year. Against the Pirates at home. In a shocking reversal of a 9-0 lead. That meant the symbolic end of their hunt for a playoff spot.
“It hurts, especially when you get that early lead,” said Tyler Stephenson, who hit a home run in the first inning and singled in four runs in the fourth. “Injuries are part of this game and they suck. It hurts to lose some key players on this team.”
“We just have to keep playing and we know these guys will be back soon.”
Julian Aguiar was scheduled to make his second career start on Saturday after pitching four good innings in his debut against the Toronto Blue Jays five days earlier. After that, the rotation has not yet been determined until further notice.
“So far, it’s not the season we envisioned,” said Martinez, one of the free-agent pitchers signed over the winter to bolster a season of high expectations. “We’ve got about a month left and crazier things have happened. I keep reminding the guys to keep trying to win the game in front of us. All it takes is the best team in the playoffs to make a run.”
“If we fight our way into the playoffs with all our strength, we will be the best team and a force to be reckoned with.”
