Reds' biggest trade deadline failure revealed in crushing loss to Padres

The Cincinnati Reds will look back at Monday's loss to the San Diego Padres as yet another missed opportunity this season. After the New York Mets fell to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Reds had a chance to inch closer in the chase for the final NL Wild Card spot. Instead, the Padres walked off the Reds in extra innings and Cincinnati still sits four games back of New York in the standings.

Some Reds fans were frustrated with manager Terry Francona after he pulled starting pitcher Nick Lodolo from the game after just five innings. Lodolo had only thrown 79 pitches and the Friars notched just two hits. Both Francona and Lodolo, however, admitted that the Reds' lefty was running out of gas — presumably because he was still recovering from an illness that resulted in him missing his last start.

But beyond Lodolo's somewhat abbreviated start, Francona's decision to turn to Brent Suter in the bottom of the sixth inning became another point of contention among the Reds fanbase. With Cincinnati nursing a 3-0 lead, reliever Scott Barlow got into trouble in the sixth. The right-hander allowed the Padres to put a run on the board and a two-out walk put runners on first and second with Jackson Merrill due up.

Reds' lack of left-handed relief options came back to haunt Cincy in their loss to the Padres

Francona turned to Suter to face the Padres' left-handed hitting outfield, but Merrill laced a double into the right-center field gap that was just out of the reach of TJ Friedl. Two runs scored and the Padres knotted the game at 3-3. The run allowed San Diego to then turn to their uber-talented relief corps who shut down Cincinnati over the final four innings of the game before Fernando Tatis Jr. walked it off in the 10th.

Suter was Francona's only left-handed option, and a shaky one at that. The Reds failed to upgrade the bullpen in any meaningful way at the deadline — preferring instead to trade for Tampa Bay Rays starter Zach Littell and push Nick Martinez into a relief role. At one point, the Reds had three lefties in the bullpen, but have since DFA'd Joe La Sorsa and optioned both Sam Moll and Reiver Sanmartin back to the minors.

The Reds lack of a go-to left-handed options in the bullpen has become a major flaw, and it was never more evident than during the sixth inning of Monday's game against the Padres. Don't forget that the Reds also traded away left-hander Taylor Rogers at this year's deadline. Steven Matz, Danny Coulombe, and Andrew Chafin — all lefties — were dealt prior to the July 31 deadline.

The Reds reportedly plan to activate Chase Burns on Friday, and he'll likely fill a relief role upon his return, but Cincinnati may want to recall one of Moll or Sanmartin in the coming days as well. While neither is what you might call an elite reliever, it would at least give Francona another left-handed option in addition to the soft-tossing Suter.

This was just the latest example of a Reds team that's not built for the stretch run. Nick Krall and the Reds' front office did just enough around the MLB trade deadline to remain competitive, but failed to sufficiently upgrade the roster in order to give Francona the tools he needs to compete for a spot in the playoffs.

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