Reds perfect run in tight games is gone and division rivals are taking over

The Cincinnati Reds were riding high before heading to Pittsburgh last weekend. They were sitting atop the National League Central Division with a record or 20-11 and were 2-0 in games decided by two runs or less. The Reds looked like true postseason contenders.

Fast forward to Wednesday, May 6 and the Reds have fallen to third place in the NL Central standings and are riding a five-game losing skid. Cincinnati has lost 6-of-7 and have three straight one-run losses.

Terry Francona's club will get a chance to bounce back against the Cubs and they're sending Brady Singer to bump on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field. The Reds are now 1-7 against teams in their own division, and the schedule isn't going to get any easier.

After red-hot April, Reds are losing ground in the NL Central

The Reds' start to the 2026 season was not a mirage. Despite not having some of their best arms in the starting rotation on the injured list, Cincinnati was able to weather the storm and ended the month of April on quite the hot streak.

But the month of May has been unkind to the ole Redlegs and they're currently the only team in the NL Central with a negative run differential. Cincinnati has allowed 22 more runs than they've scored, and that's typically a recipe for disaster.

The stat can be deceiving, however, and in the Reds' case, it's exactly that. Prior to losing three consecutive one-run contests, Cincinnati was undefeated in close games. But when the Reds were losing, they were losing by huge margins.

Before their 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon, the Reds were outscored 26-8 during the first two games of the three-game series. They also lost a game to the Los Angeles Angels by a final of 10-2 and the Colorado Rockies registered 13 runs during a blowout win at Great American Ball Park last week.

The NL Central is officially loaded. Every team in the division has a winning record — something no other division in Major League Baseball can boast. In fact, every team in the AL Central is below .500.

Reds fans are understandably frustrated by their favorite teams recent string of losses. Entering play on Wednesday, Cincinnati is four games back of Chicago and trailing the St. Louis Cardinals by 1½ games as well.

But it's a long season, and even the best teams will go through periods of ups and downs. Perhaps the biggest problem facing the Reds at the moment has been injuries. Emilio Pagán was the latest victim after going down with a hamstring injury on Tuesday night. The Reds are now without their closer, their biggest free agent pickup, and their top two starters.

Nick Lodolo is expected to return to the mound on Friday, but the Reds need more than just a quality start from their reliable lefty to turn things around. They need to start scoring more runs.

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