Cincinnati Reds blown out by Cardinals after ugly pitching performance

The offense stayed hot for the Cincinnati Reds, but a terrible showing from the pitchers sent them to a blowout loss against the St. Louis Cardinals.

There were no ninth inning fireworks on Wednesday in Great American Ball Park. The Reds scored seven runs on 15 hits, but another poor start from Alfredo Simon along with an equally bad showing from the bullpen meant that wasn’t enough against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 12-7 loss.

Simon’s last stand?

Could Wednesday mark Simon’s final start with the Reds? The right-hander’s season-long struggles continued, as he gave up six runs, seven hits and five walks in five innings. He put the Reds in a hole immediately, walking the first two hitters of the game before giving up a three-run home run to Matt Adams. It would only get worse from there. Simon allowed a fourth run in the second and two more in the fifth on another home run, this time a two-run shot by Brandon Moss.

Following the game, WCPO’s John Fay reported that manager Bryan Price was hinting about Robert Stephenson or Cody Reed being promoted from Triple-A Louisville soon. Reed started on Wednesday, which means his next outing will fall on the same day as Simon’s.

Bullpen up to its old tricks

The pitching situation didn’t improve when Simon left the game. Josh Smith threw a scoreless sixth frame, but allowed his first two runs of the season in the seventh — including another homer to Moss. J.C. Ramirez took over with two down in the inning and got the final out after allowing an inherited runner to score. The eighth inning was a disaster for the righty, with the Cardinals picking up three straight singles and a three-run homer from Jhonny Peralta. Ramirez then walked a batter and was removed from the game, having recorded only one out in the game. A.J. Morris was the lone bright spot on the pitching side of things for the Reds, firing two scoreless innings.

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Offense keeps rolling

On the plus side, it was another nice day from the Reds at the plate. Zack Cozart, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Billy Hamilton each had two hits, while Tucker Barnhart picked up three. The home run barrage continued as well, with Cozart and Barnhart each hitting a solo blast. The Reds have scored 69 runs in the last nine games, an average of 7.7 per game, with 21 home runs in that span. The club has now homered in the last 12 games, over halfway to the franchise record of 21.

Notes:

• Steve Selsky picked up his first MLB hit with a double in the fifth inning.
• For the third time this season, Eugenio Suarez struck out four times in a game.
• Quietly, Brandon Phillips now has an 11-game hitting streak after a 1-for-5 effort.
• The Reds only drew one walk on the night and it came from — Alfredo Simon.