As the fortunes of the Cincinnati Reds have taken an abrupt turn for the worse in the past week, it brought to mind a few of the lyrics in the Frank Sinatra song “That’s Life” 60 years ago. If you’re a bit ancient like myself, you already know the reference. If not, following is the opening verse from that popular 1966 song:
That’s life (that’s life)
That’s what all the people say
You’re riding high in April, shot down in May
But I know I’m gonna change that tune
When I’m back on top, back on top in June
Reds see dramatic drop-off after promising start
The Reds were flying high in April, when they enjoyed a 17-9 record to give them a National League Central Division lead with an overall of 20-11 after opening the season in March with a 3-2 mark. Since the calendar turned to May, the club has been shot down, all the way to last place after their disappointing 0-7 road trip to Pittsburgh and Chicago. As a result, the team currently (as of Friday morning) resides in the cellar of the NL Central at 20-18.
That means those song lyrics fit these Redlegs like a glove. It remains to be seen how the club responds, but getting back on top in June will be a huge challenge. It isn’t impossible, but the current tailspin makes one wonder if this team is built to contend, or if they were blessed with an overabundance of good fortune during the season’s opening five weeks.
There are several areas of concern, beginning with injury after injury to not only several starting pitchers but also the relief staff, which began the year looking like a team strength. During the current skid, the bullpen has consistently blown leads and walked in runs with alarming regularity.
The rotation, which performed admirably early in the campaign despite missing the oft-injured Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, has also rapidly deteriorated, and is now full of question marks, including recent injuries to Brandon Williamson, Rhett Lowder and Brady Singer. Obviously, that is not a recipe for success, and dropping seven in a row to division foes has been the result.
Add to the pitching woes a still lackluster offensive performance from too many bats in the everyday lineup, and it’s easy to see why the Reds have quickly tumbled in the standings. After just 38 games, it is still no reason for panic, but it is certainly plenty of reason for concern.
A break from the NL Central
One reason for optimism is the team doesn’t have to play any teams within the division until May 22, when the Dirty Birds, aka the St. Louis Cardinals, pay a visit to Great American Ball Park and open a three-game series. In the meantime, manager Terry Francona hopes to see his troops get back on the right track.
Before the Redbirds arrive at GABP, the Reds will play four sets of three games apiece at home against the slumping Houston Astros (15-23) and the 18-20 Washington Nationals, before visiting AL Central-leading Cleveland and the suddenly hot Philadelphia Phillies, winners of eight of their last 10, but still none games behind the 26-12 Atlanta Braves, who are tied with the Cubs for the best record in the National League.
How do the Reds turn it around?
Part of the answer to that question concerns the health of the pitching staff, and whether or not Lodolo can give them a lift and not develop another blister. They also need Singer to give them solid outings, Andrew Abbott to continue to pitch well after scuffling for several starts, and Chase Burns to keep doing what he’s been doing lately, which is to show he can be a dominating young pitcher.
Lowder was on a roll as well until his last couple of outings, and he left the game Thursday at Wrigley Field with what was termed as “shoulder discomfort” which could turn out to be devastating news for a staff that is quickly unraveling. Another dilemma for the staff is how the Reds will replace closer Emilio Pagan, who went down with a hamstring injury in the disastrous Cubs series. He was already struggling, but was showing some signs of getting it together before the recent setback. It likely means that Tony Santillan will inherit closing duties, and the rest of the pen needs to step it up as well. Connor Phillips, Brock Burke, Sam Moll, and Graham Ashcraft were lights out in April, but they have all suffered location issues in the past week or so.
Bats still lacking consistency
Offensively, the Reds cannot continue to squander scoring opportunities the way they have in May. This has been a recurring issue for the Reds for the past several seasons, and it reared its ugly head again in Thursday’s 8-3 loss to the streaking Cubs. That’s when Cincy banged out nine hits and walked eight times, but managed to inexcusably leave 15 runners on base. Simply said, they need to produce in clutch situations much more effectively than they have been, or this season will feel even longer than it already is.
Another area that could use some improvement is basic fundamentals, with the latest mental error being a boneheaded play from catcher Tyler Stephenson in the Cubs’ seven-run fourth inning on Thursday. That’s when he failed to tag a runner at the plate after a force out at third base, a play that should’ve resulted in an easy double play, and may have gotten the Reds out of what became the game-winning frame.
Back in April, it appeared the team defense had improved considerably, but plays like the missed tag, along with other fundamental blunders, are killers for a little-margin-for-error team that needs to play clean baseball to have a chance to win enough games to actually contend for the postseason.
Enjoy your big day, Moms!
A quick word about tomorrow, the annual day that honors all of the fantastic mothers who put up with us:
Mother’s Day falls on the second Sunday of the month of May, but it’s also a day that should be celebrated every day of the year, for all that our moms do for us. Mothers love us unconditionally and care for us deeply, and even though she left this earth 10 years ago, I still love, talk to, and miss my wonderful mother each and every day.
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“No party holds the privilege of dictating to me how I shall vote. If loyalty to party is a form of patriotism, I am no patriot. If there is any valuable difference between a monarchist and an American, it lies in the theory that the American can decide for himself what is patriotic and what isn’t. I claim that difference. I am the only person among millions that is privileged to dictate my patriotism.” – Mark Twain
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