Cincinnati Reds end a rough month on a high note in June

After falling out of the race in the middle of June, Scott Feldman’s start began a strong stretch for the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cincinnati Reds were looking like a team that would never win a game for the rest of the season.  After sweeping the Saint Louis Cardinals in the gateway city, the Reds were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and the Dodgers, again!  Then they lost series against the Tampa Bay Rays and the Washington Nationals.

The last game against the Nationals, though, began a nice run to the end of June.  Opening Day starter Scott Feldman pitched seven innings, allowing two runs.  The bullpen did its job and the Reds earned a victory.

The Reds only scored six runs or more three times in the previous 14 games.  The Reds went 1-2 in those games, including the only win among those 14 games.  Then they only allowed 2 runs for the first time since the last game against the Cardinals.

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That was a Feldman start, too, and he has been doing his best to be  the ace.  He allowed no runs in seven innings against the Cardinals that night.  After that the Reds had trouble scoring and trouble stopping the other team from scoring.

Since that game, the Cincinnati Reds have been competitive as they were when they stood atop the National League Central.

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The Reds went 5-3 to end June and start July.  They won series against the NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs.  To top it off, they were only out of one game all week, the loss to the Brewers.

These are the Reds from early in the season.  They have fallen too far down the standings to be meaningful in the playoff race.  Like last year, though, they have a chance to springboard to next season.

After a tough patch the Reds now look like they will safely finish with less than 100 losses.

At the exact halfway point, the Reds are on pace to finish 70-92.  That’s 2 games better than last year and a bit of a disappointment, unless you believed CBS Sports earlier this year.

The Reds have their lulls and when they do it is not pretty.  Losing nine games in a row is not progress.  Those nine games were a sign of how far the Reds have to go.

Next: Who will be in the rotation at the end of the season?

Now that shortstop Zack Cozart has made the All-Star team, he will be around a few more weeks.  After that he and a couple other will move on as the Reds prepare themselves for 2018.  Maybe the Reds will sustain all season long next year.