late August, the Cincinnati Reds significantly hurt their playoff hopes with poor clutch hitting and sloppy defense, losing key series to the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Cardinals. After a loss to St. Louis on Saturday, players held a closed-door meeting.
At the time, Reds pitching was decent—not dominating, but not losing games either. However, the team needed its pitching staff to step up and lead the way, especially during a playoff chase.
That didn’t happen. Instead, over the past two days, the pitching staff has unraveled.
The Reds dropped both games against the Toronto Blue Jays—losing 12-9 on Tuesday and 13-9 on Wednesday—marking their fourth straight series defeat. According to Bengals reporter Jay Morrison, the last time the Reds lost consecutive games despite scoring at least nine runs each was in 1970.
“We’re struggling right now,” said pitcher Nick Martinez, who took Wednesday’s loss. “There’s a bug going around. It’s easy to complain, but we’ve got to fight through it. We can’t act like victims.”
Following the loss, the Reds now trail the Mets by five games in the wild card race, with a weekend series between the two clubs looming. Meanwhile, the Cardinals, sellers at the trade deadline, sit just half a game behind the Reds. In the NL Central, Cincinnati is closer to the last-place Pirates than the second-place Cubs.
Heading into September, the Reds had little margin for error. Poor hitting and defense were the biggest culprits in a disappointing August, but injuries and underperformance in the rotation played a role too. Key arms like Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Chase Burns spent large chunks of August on the injured list. Martinez struggled with a 5.11 ERA, while Zack Littell posted a 3.90. Only Brady Singer delivered consistently strong outings.
Though the pitching was adequate, it needed to be exceptional in September. Instead, it faltered. Martinez and Burns couldn’t help in the bullpen—Martinez was in the rotation and Burns was injured. Graham Ashcraft went down with a forearm injury. Reliever Sam Moll was sent to Triple-A after struggling, and Scott Barlow has been inconsistent. Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagán have been overused.
Still, the Reds’ best chance to make the playoffs relies on their pitching carrying the load.
But this week, everything fell apart.
Lodolo was scheduled to pitch Tuesday but came down sick. The team opted for a bullpen game rather than rushing prospect Chase Petty, who’s had a rough year in Triple-A.
Barlow gave up a leadoff homer, walked three batters, and allowed a three-run double. “He didn’t have command,” said manager Terry Francona. “He fell behind hitters early and often.”
Brent Suter followed, pitching 2⅓ innings but surrendering six runs. “I’m attacking and feel good physically,” Suter said. “But I’m not finishing off hitters, and mistakes are getting punished.”
Toronto capitalized on well-placed hits and crushed Suter’s mistakes—including a three-run homer by Bo Bichette and a two-run shot by George Springer. The Reds mounted comebacks from 8-1 and 10-6 deficits but still lost, despite scoring nine runs.
“I wish I could’ve kept us in the game,” said Suter. “It’s frustrating. Nine runs should be enough.”
The bullpen game also affected Wednesday’s outing. With Barlow, Suter, and Connor Phillips unavailable after heavy use Tuesday, the Reds turned to Zack Littell for length. He lasted only 4⅓ innings, giving up five runs and four home runs, blowing an early 5-0 lead.
Despite another nine-run effort by the offense, it wasn’t enough.
“We’ve got to keep swinging and find our rhythm,” Martinez said.
Right now, the Reds’ pitching staff is worn down—dealing with illness, fatigue, and the grind of the season. The series against Toronto was a costly setback.
The Mets are now coming to town with a five-game cushion over Cincinnati. The Reds will send Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, and Brady Singer to the mound—arguably their top arms.
Martinez stressed the significance of the series: “It’s crucial. We’ve boxed ourselves in a bit. Now we’ve got to beat the teams ahead of us to give ourselves a shot.”