Cincinnati Reds: Swept by Pirates, six-man rotation and more

Good morning and welcome to a Monday edition of Blog Red Machine’s news and notes. The Cincinnati Reds have lost four straight after a three-game sweep by the Pirates, a six-man starting rotation is on the way and more.

The Cincinnati Reds have lost four straight games after getting dominated by the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend. The Reds dropped the series finale to the Cardinals before the All-Star break and were swept by the Pirates, dropping their record to 43-56. Let’s check out this morning’s news and notes from Blog Red Machine.

Pirates sweep the Reds. The Reds were outmatched in every way imaginable during their three-game set with the Pirates. Pittsburgh outscored Cincinnati 27-5 in the series. Ouch! Reds pitchers surrendered 9 home runs during the series. Double ouch! The Reds 3, 4 and 5 hitters were a combined 5-for-29, and that includes a 3-hit performance by Jesse Winker in the series-opener in which Joey Votto did not start. Ouch, ouch, ouch!

Let that sink in for a second. The three best offensive players on the Reds roster, all of them All-Stars, combined to got 2-of-25 (.080) at the plate during the series. That does not bode well for the Reds going forward, and they’ll need to figure that out before their upcoming series with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Speaking of something that needs to get fixed, how about the starting pitching. Tyler Mahle, Anthony DeSclafani, and Matt Harvey, the best the Reds have to offer, struggled mightily over the weekend. The three pitchers combined to allow 17 runs on 22 hits. They surrendered a combined 8 home runs, including 4 that Harvey served up on his own.

The great thing about the game of baseball is that tomorrow offers up a new chance for success. The Reds begin a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday at Great American Ball Park.

Six-man starting rotation. The Reds will implement a six-man starting rotation, at least temporarily, this coming week. With Mahle, DeSclafani, and Harvey having already pitched out of the All-Star break, the Reds will turn to three different starters in their series against the Cardinals.

Luis Castillo will be on the bump to start Monday’s game against St. Louis. Homer Bailey, fresh off a rehab stint in Louisville, will get the ball on Tuesday, and now Sal Romano will start the series finale on Wednesday afternoon.

This six-man rotation will not last long, as the non-waiver trade deadline is just around the corner, and Matt Harvey will likely be dealt to a contender. If for some odd reason, Harvey is still on the Reds roster after July 31st then the Reds will have to revisit the idea of six starters.

Reds Hall of Fame inductees. Manager Dave Bristol, pitcher Fred Norman, and slugger Adam Dunn were all inducted into Reds Hall of Fame over the weekend. The three inductees upped the number in the Reds HOF to 89 members.

Next: Blandino's injury reveals hole at SS

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame was established in 1958 and is home to such greats as Dave Concepcion, Barry Larkin, Sparky Anderson and Johnny Bench. A few more are sure to join next year, and fan voting is likely to begin for the 2019 honorees in the near future.