Cincinnati Reds Demolished by Cubs for 11th Straight Defeat

3. 61. . 10. 9

W: Jon Lester (11-12)

L: Anthony DeSclafani (9-13)

This season can’t possibly come to an end quickly enough. The Cincinnati Reds’ losing streak now sits at 11 after another blow out loss, this time at the hands of the Chicago Cubs. If you had the misfortune of watching this game, I’m truly sorry.

Offense: Not a whole lot to speak of here. With Joey Votto and Todd Frazier out of the lineup, the Reds managed just four hits. All three of the Reds’ runs came on sacrifice flies, two from Jay Bruce and one from Brandon Phillips. Bruce’s first sac fly actually gave his team the lead in the first inning, but that didn’t last long. Recent waiver claim Tyler Holt made his first appearance as a Red, going 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk while batting second and playing center field.

Starting Pitching: Things started off well enough for Anthony DeSclafani, retiring the first eight hitters he faced, but he ran into trouble with two outs in the third inning after walking opposing pitcher Jon Lester. Next batter Kyle Schwarber singled and Austin Jackson followed with a two-run double to give the Cubs a lead that would not be given up. DeSclafani gave up one run in both the fourth and fifth, but was still sent out for the sixth with the Reds’ bullpen being heavily worked of late (and by “of late,” I mean the entire second half of the season). He lasted all of six more pitches, giving up a solo homer to Starlin Castro on the first pitch of the inning and walking the next batter before he was removed. All told, DeSclafani was charged with five runs on eight hits, while walking two and striking out eight in his final start of the year.

Bullpen: It was another awful performance from the Reds bullpen, aside from Sam LeCure, who threw two scoreless innings, and Ryan Mattheus, who retired the only hitter he faced. Tony Cingrani gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in the eighth inning before he was taken out for Mattheus and Collin Balester gave up two runs on four hits in the ninth inning.

Other Notes:

With this loss, the Reds have now passed the Braves for the second-worst record in baseball. They probably won’t catch the Phillies at this point, but a No. 2 draft pick would still be a nice consolation prize for this horrendous season.
The lead that the Reds held from the first to the third inning was the first they held since Sept. 24 against the Mets, a span of six games. Brutal.
During their 11-game losing streak, the Reds have been outscored, 78-25, and their pitchers have 6.41 ERA. The Reds aren’t just losing, they’re getting steamrolled.

Up Next: The Reds will try to break their losing streak in their final home game of the season on Thursday, as John Lamb faces off against Jason Hammel. First pitch is set for 12:35 p.m. ET.

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