PITTSBURGH – Because of some historic events that unfolded at PNC Park on Saturday, including an MLB-record seven consecutive walks issued by the Cincinnati Reds, a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates staff was asked during the game if he planned to gather anything from the game to send to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
“Send them four balls,” somebody quipped.
It certainly was the story of the day for a Reds staff that walked 11, got battered for 19 hits and gave up three five-run innings in a 17-7 loss that was never that close.
It knocked the Reds out of first place for the first time in 18 days.
Granted, some of that damage came against catcher Jose Trevino, who pitched the final two innings (two runs, five hits, one hit batter – on a 34-mph “fastball”).
The more important story for the Reds – even bigger than the consecutive-walk record Rhett Lowder and Connor Phillips teamed up to tie – was the fact Trevino was called upon to pitch for the third time in four games. That the Reds were blown out in three of their past four games. That the cracks in all that pitching depth they thought they had are starting to show.
“Golly, a lot of walks,” manager Terry Francona said, “and some balls over the middle that got hit. Really uncharacteristic of Lowder, who just couldn’t reel it back in.”
It’s happening just as the Reds hit this weeklong stretch of games against division opponents, including a four-game set in Chicago against the Cubs – the team that nudged the Reds out of their tie for first on Saturday by beating the Diamondbacks earlier in the day.
“I just told the guys, ‘Hey, man, this is a humbling game, but we’ll figure things out together. And just keep picking each other up,’ ” Francona said. “They’ve done a terrific job. Last couple days have been difficult.”
The Reds are down three starters with injuries, including ace Hunter Greene (bone chips surgery; due back late in the season) and No. 2 starter Nick Lodolo, who made a rehab start with Triple-A Louisville Saturday.
Lodolo pitched 4 1/3 innings against Omaha, allowing two earned runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
A Reds team that has leaned hard on a resilient staff to build its early record on close, low-scoring wins, already led the National League in walks with 146 before this one.
“That’s one thing we need to get better at as a pitching staff,” veteran closer and staff mentor Emilio Pagán said. “Trust our stuff a little bit more. Obviously, early in the season you’re dealing with some cold weather and stuff, and it’s harder to feel the ball or whatever. But those are excuses we can’t lean on.
“We’ve got to understand who we are, how talented we are and be in the zone more.”
The game-time temperature was 43 degrees, the Reds’ coldest game since two weeks ago in Minnesota, but nobody used that as a reason for the lack of command.
“No excuses for that. That was bad,” Lowder said. “I just didn’t really have anything today.
“It’s humbling, and it’s a test,” he added. “It’s not supposed to be easy. But we’ll get back.”
Phillips is second on the entire staff with 19 walks despite pitching out of the bullpen.
He said if anything impacted him it might have been a lack of preparation based on the early call for a bullpen crew that didn’t head out to the pen until the first inning.
“Honestly, it was a pretty quick turnaround for me there,” he said. “I didn’t really give myself the chance to find it in the bullpen. Rhett was out there battling, and I figured I could go out there and give some effort and help him out of it. Obviously that didn’t work. Just learn from it and know that I need more time to get ready.
“It’s something I’ll talk to some of the guys about and try to get a feel for what they saw and where I could have been better about it.”
The Reds don’t have a lot of time to get their pitching figured out. Next up after Pittsburgh is a four-game series against the team with the best lineup in the division, on paper.
With Brandon Williamson (shoulder fatigue) becoming the third starting pitcher to go on the injured list after his last start, the Reds’ next task after the Pirates whipped them again was to figure out their pitching plans for Monday.
It could involve calling up somebody such as Chase Petty from Triple-A Louisville or trying to chance a bullpen day with somebody like rookie Jose Franco getting a bulk assignment after two days in a row of leaning hard on the relief corps.
“Trevino really picked us up with a couple (innings),” Francona said.
“We’ll get there,” he added, saying a plan for Monday hadn’t been finalized as of a half-hour or so after the second of back-to-back blowouts. “We just got to take one thing at a time here.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds trounced for 3rd time in 4 games, set ugly MLB record along way
Reporting by Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
