The Cincinnati Reds couldn’t have had a worse start to May. After getting swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, they suffered a 10-0 loss to the Houston Astros on Friday, extending a losing streak to eight games before bouncing back with a 3-1 win on Saturday and a 5-0 victory on Sunday.
Now, the Reds need to climb the NL Central standings. They are tied with the Pirates for last place at 22-19, five games behind the division-leading Cubs. This is the only division in baseball where every team has a winning record.
During the losing streak, Cincinnati suffered three walk-off losses against Chicago, highlighting an area that needs immediate improvement.
**Reds Bullpen Must Perform Better in Tight Games**
Cincinnati ranks 23rd in MLB with a 4.52 ERA, and the bullpen must play a key role in fixing that. A good start would be performing better in high-leverage situations.
Closer Emilio Pagan blew his third save of the season in Monday’s 5-4 loss to the Cubs. Right-hander Tony Santillan gave up a lead in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s 3-2 defeat, and right-hander Graham Ashcraft couldn’t hold a lead in Wednesday’s 7-6 loss. Right-hander Pierce Johnson earned his first save of the year in Saturday’s win over the Astros, but that doesn’t erase the mistakes from the Chicago series.
Next up for the Reds is a home series against the Washington Nationals, who rank eighth in MLB with a .722 OPS despite a 19-22 record. Their offense is led by shortstop CJ Abrams and right fielder James Wood, who respectively rank 18th with a .918 OPS and 19th with a .916 OPS.
An improved bullpen performance against that lineup would build on Sunday’s encouraging 5-0 win over Houston, where relievers allowed no hits over the final three innings. The Astros rank fifth with a .762 OPS, giving the Reds a chance to show they can shut down two of the league’s better offenses in consecutive series.
Pitchers like Ashcraft (1.74 ERA), left-hander Sam Moll (1.65 ERA), and left-hander Brock Burke (3.06 ERA) could lead that charge based on their performances so far. However, they need better results from right-hander Connor Phillips (5.40 ERA), Santillan (5.17 ERA), and right-hander Jose Franco (4.30 ERA).