Cincinnati Reds: Simon crushed again in series finale loss to Cubs

The Cincinnati Reds have to be thankful they don’t play the Chicago Cubs again until June 27.

After giving the Cubs a taste of their own medicine with a blowout win on Saturday night, the Reds had it handed to them once again in the series finale on Sunday by a 9-0 tally.

The Cubs continued to bash Reds pitching, smacking three more home runs to give them 14 in seven head-to-head games this season. It was another atrocious outing for Alfredo Simon, while Jason Hammel continued to baffle Reds hitters on the opposite side, tossing six innings of shutout baseball.

Here are some observations from the game:

Simon experiment could be nearing an end

Signed to be an innings-eater, Alfredo Simon is not doing that job well in any regard. After having his last start skipped due to biceps tendinitis, he continued to get beat up by opposing hitters from the start of the game on Sunday, lasting a mere 2 2/3 innings. In his short time in the game, he managed to accumulate 70 pitches and allowed eight runs, nine hits — including two home runs to Anthony Rizzo — and a walk, raising his season ERA to 16.39 against all teams and 38.57 against the Cubs. With Anthony DeSclafani, John Lamb and Homer Bailey all on rehab assignments, Simon figures to have limited time left in the starting rotation. If the Reds decide to skip his next outing, they could look at Robert Stephenson to come back up from Triple-A Louisville for another spot start.

More from Blog Red Machine

• Reds: Kyle Farmer should be a serious Gold Glove candidate at shortstop
• Reds: Sonny Gray should not be traded this offseason
• Cincinnati Reds playoff odds drop well-below 50-percent
• Reds vs. Cubs: Pitching preview, prediction, and more
• Reds prospect: Rece Hinds finding his power after prolonged stint on IL

Bats go cold

Following a 13-run, 15-hit outburst on Saturday, the Reds’ bats were completely silenced in the series finale. Only three hits could be strung together off Hammel, with none going for extra bases, and nobody reached base against Adam Warren, Travis Wood or Hector Rondon over the final three innings. The Reds also struck out 11 times on the day. No Cincinnati batter reached base until the third inning when Tucker Barnhart singled and the club got more than one runner on base in an inning a mere two times.

Votto heating up?

While the Reds struggled as a whole at the plate on Sunday, it was another nice day for first baseman Joey Votto, who went 1-for-2 with a walk. After an unusually slow start to the season for the first baseman, is 4-for-10 with three singles — all three to the opposite field or up the middle — a home run and a walk over the last three games. Everyone knew Votto wouldn’t stay in a slump for long, and it looks like he’s beginning to break out of it.

Notes:

• The bullpen did a nice job picking up the slack from Simon. Drew Hayes, J.J. Hoover and Ross Ohlendorf allowed only one run over the final 6 1/3 innings, a solo home run by Tommy La Stella off of Hayes.
• Billy Hamilton was out of the lineup for a fourth straight game due to a bruised thumb, but did enter the game as a defensive substitution in the eighth inning.
• Of the seven games the Reds and Cubs have played so far this year, only one has been even remotely close. Aside from the 5-3 contest won by Chicago in the first meeting, none of the remaining six games have been closer than seven runs. The Cubs have outscored the Reds 60-20.