Reds embarrassed by Tigers after Noelvi Marte's inexcusable error cost Cincy dearly

The Cincinnati Reds' offense is bad enough that the team's defense doesn't need to give their opponents any extra outs. But that's exactly what happened on Sunday during the Reds' series finale against the Detroit Tigers.

Noelvi Marte has struggled at the plate since returning from his 80-game suspension, but his fielding has been just as bad as his hitting. Barely over a week into his return, Marte is worth -2 outs above average (OAA). On Sunday, Marte's porous defense cost the Reds dearly.

Down 2-1, with a chance to get out of the eighth inning unscathed, Marte's defensive miscue gave the Tigers new life. A routine ground ball hit to the third baseman saw Marte bobble the ball and then throw it offline to first baseman Jeimer Candelario. Had the 6-3 putout been recorded, Cincinnati would've headed into the bottom of the eighth inning with an opportunity to tie or take the lead.

Reds swept by Tigers after Noelvi Marte's inexcusable error cost Cincy dearly

But instead, the next batter took Reds' closer Alexis Diaz deep and pushed Detroit's lead to 4-2. Another Tigers' player came around to score later in the inning and the Reds then trailed 5-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth.

The Reds were unable to put another run on the board and dropped their third straight game to the Tigers, much to the disbelief of the Cincinnati faithful. The Reds' three-game sweep of the New York Yankees in the Bronx was all for not, as Cincinnati is now back to six games below .500 with seven left until the All-Star break.

Tigers' starting pitcher Tarik Skubal was dealing all day, but the Reds were finally able to get a run on the board in the seventh inning. However, all momentum was lost after Marte's miscue (now his fifth error of the season) allowed the Tigers to plate three more runs.

The Reds will look to rebound with a four-game series against the hapless Colorado Rockies. This, however, was a huge missed opportunity for the Reds to make up some ground in the standings.

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