Cincinnati Reds: 3 takeaways from the 30 inning scoreless streak

The streak is dead. Kyle Farmer hit a 2-run during the Cincinnati Reds’ lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday. What can we takeaway from that stretch of games?

Kyle Farmer, the forgotten piece of the trade that sent Homer Bailey out of town, ended the Cincinnati Reds 30-inning scoreless drought. While it felt like this nightmare was never going to end, Reds Country can rest easy knowing that the team finally scored some runs.

It’s not all rainbows and sunshine, however, as the Cincinnati Reds fell to the Pittsburgh in extra innings 6-5. Raisel Iglesias, after back-to-back innings, went out for the 10th and surrendered the game winning run.

The Cincinnati Reds have lost seven straight games and haven’t won since a crowd of 44,000-plus at Great American Ball Park watched Luis Castillo dominate these very same Pittsburgh Pirates and Derek Dietrich become a hero overnight. Since that evening, it’s been all downhill for a team that a lot of fans and experts picked to make a surprise run at a playoff spot this season.

Now, don’t fret Reds fans. Though is seems like a long shot, the season is early and the Reds are not out of it yet. In 1995, the Davey Johnson-led Cincinnati Reds overcame a 1-8 start to finish with 85 wins and won the National League Central Division.

Just as we suspected, the NL Central has beaten up on one another. The Milwaukee Brewers lead the division with a 7-2 record. The Chicago Cubs hung 14 runs on the Brew Crew last night and got only their second win of the young season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates occupy the second spot in the standing and are sitting at just one game over .500, while the St. Louis Cardinals are 3-5 having dropped two straight to the San Diego Padres. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting only .219 to begin the 2019 season, so it’s not just the big bats in the Reds lineup that a quiet in the early going.

My point is, it’s the first week of April and a 5.5 game deficit in the standing at this point is not insurmountable. That being said, it’s time for the Cincinnati Reds to put this losing streak behind them and I think they will. Let’s look at what three things we can takeaway from the 30 straight innings in which the Reds did not score a run.

1. The Reds need Scooter Gennett and Nick Senzel

Once they’re on the mend, I can assure you that the Cincinnati Reds will get Scooter Gennett and Nick Senzel into the starting lineup as soon as possible. Gennett has a strained groin and is expected to be out until at least the middle of May, while Senzel is rehabbing an ankle sprain and could be playing in Triple-A Louisville in a couple of weeks.

These two bats are a big part of this Reds’ lineup and missing them has taken a huge chunk out of the Reds’ offensive production. Scooter made it to his first All-Star Game last season and was in the hunt for the NL batting title until the final weeks of the season. Senzel is the Reds’ No. 1 prospect and was in a battle with Scott Schebler for the starting job in center field.

Yes, the same Scott Schebler who’s hitting .080 out of the gate with 2 hits in 25 at-bats. Having sent down Senzel and Phillip Ervin, the Reds have no real option to replace Schebler in center field while he’s struggling to get on base.

Schebler had a great spring, and while some will argue that Senzel should’ve made the Opening Day roster, Scott Schebler played well enough during Spring Training to earn the starting spot. However, he’s done little to keep it and once healthy, Senzel will almost assuredly be given every opportunity to succeed as the every day center fielder.

Scooter’s spot in the starting lineup is a given once he returns from injury. However, José Iglesias has played well in his absence. Iglesias leads the team in hitting and has 3 doubles in 17 at-bats so far this season.

2. The pitching has been good enough to win

I think the biggest takeaway from this entire 1-7 start to the season is that the biggest concern for the Cincinnati Reds entering the season may now be their biggest strength. Though the Reds were scoreless in 30 consecutive innings, they were in every game until the last at-bat because the pitching has been phenomenal.

Yesterday, the Reds fell to the Pirates 6-5 in the 10th inning. The two nights previous, the Pirates won by a score of 2-0, and the Milwaukee Brewers escaped Cincinnati with a 1-0 victory of Wednesday night. That’s a grand total of 6 runs. Of the 30 teams that played yesterday, 12 of them scored at least 6 runs in just one game.

My point is, the Reds pitching staff, specifically the starting pitching, did their jobs and kept the Reds in every single game during the team’s scoreless streak. Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle, and Sonny Gray were sensational. Though Tanner Roark was not as good during his start yesterday, he was in line for the win until the bullpen gave up the lead.

The Cincinnati Reds have allowed only 27 runs in the first 8 games of the season. That’s less than four runs per game. There’s only one team in the National League who’s allowed fewer runs to begin the season and that’s Pittsburgh. That shouldn’t be a shock as they’ve played five games against the Reds.

If the Cincinnati Reds can keep their offensive momentum going, the pitching won’t just keep them in ballgames, but it will actually win them ballgames. Outside of Roark, who hasn’t been awful in his own right, the starters have been dominant.

It’s not just been against Pittsburgh either. The Reds kept the red hot Milwaukee Brewers in check as well. Milwaukee only averaged three runs per game during their visit to Great American Ball Park earlier this week.