CLEVELAND – The Cincinnati Reds have their magic Tito Speedo, a hot-hitting JJ Bleday, MVP threat Elly De La Cruz, resurgent Matt McLain, a couple of guys in the rotation putting up dozens of zeroes this month and realistic playoff hopes.
But none of that’s going to get them anywhere near October if this bullpen keeps looking like it’s pitching with its eyes closed.
In their latest meltdown in the opener of the weekend series in Cleveland, Graham Ashcraft opened the eighth inning with a five-run lead – and 13 consecutive balls before throwing a strike.
By the time the inning was done Brock Burke had walked home two runs, and the Guardians were within a run.
If not for an insurance run by the Reds in the top of the ninth, they wouldn’t have had the margin for a 7-6 win because the Guardians scored again off closer-for-the-day Tejay Antone in the ninth.
“Not how we drew it up,” manager Terry Francona said in the understatement of the week.
This was no aberration. The Reds bullpen walked a command-shaken tightrope throughout April until they nosedived in May – their troubles made worse by closer Emilio Pagán’s long-term hamstring injury suffered May 5 in Chicago.
Through April 28, the Reds bullpen had the best ERA in the majors: 2.23.
Since then it’s MLB’s worst: 7.34.
And the ridiculous number of walks has been a problem from the start.
They have five in the eighth inning alone Friday in Cleveland, which pushed their season total for just the relief corps to 114, tying the Houston Astros for most by a bullpen in the majors.
That’s 18 more walks than the Reds’ rotation, in 58 fewer innings.
Burke’s pair of run-scoring walks stretched the Reds’ MLB-leading total in that department to a stunning 17 in 45 games. It already matches the total bases-loaded walks the Boston Red Sox issued to lead the majors for the entire 2025 season.
“We did so many good things, and then it just started going in the wrong direction and we couldn’t stop it,” Francona said.
The closest thing to a good sign for the bullpen’s recent troubles on this night was the scoreless seventh inning pitched by struggling Tony Santillan, albeit needing to navigate around a two-out double. He’s already allowed seven home runs this season, matching his 80-game season total last year.
And then Tejay Antone survived another inning of hard contact in the ninth surrendering only one run to get the save (his first in five years).
How did Antone do it? “Not walking guys,” he said. “If you’re in the zone they have to earn that win.”
Seems simple enough.
Maybe somebody should share that secret with the rest of the guys down there.
Because anything but filling the zone has been the story of the month for this team and its bullpen. The story of an eight-game losing streak that dumped them from first place to last place in the division in barely a week. The story of three consecutive walkoff losses in Chicago during that streak.
And it’ll be the story of a season of promise going down in flames if the Reds don’t figure out a way to solve the problem with the pitchers they have or go find some more who will throw strikes.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dead pen walking? Bullpen will bury Reds playoff hopes if this keeps up
Reporting by Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
