Reds’ ugly losing streak comes with one silver lining fans can’t ignore

The Cincinnati Reds have already taken the fanbase on a roller coaster ride of emotions this season. The ole Redlegs had the entire tri-state area area riding high during the month of April, and entered their most recent road trip sitting atop the NL Central standings with a record of 20-11.

But a seven-game losing streak has a number of Reds fans looking for exits. Cincinnati is now in the NL Central cellar heading into Friday's series opener against the Houston Astros. It's barely May, but the fanbase seems ready to jump ship.

Reds fans should relax and take a look at the standings

The Reds have lost back-to-back series at the hands of two of their biggest rivals — the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs. Cincinnati is now 1-9 against NL Central opponents this season and are six games back of the division-leading Cubs. That's the bad news. But there is reason for hope, Reds fans.

While Cincinnati has played horribly over the past week, they're still just one game back in the NL Wild Card standings. In fact, outside of the NL Central, only three National League teams — the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres — even have a winning record.

This information isn't meant to assuage your frustrations, but it should bring a modicum of reality to the table. The Major League Baseball season is a long one, and the Reds still have 124 games to play. That stated, Cincinnati needs to find a way to bring this torrid losing streak to a halt.

The Reds will send Nick Lodolo to the mound on Friday for his first Major League start of the season. The left-hander has been sidelined since before Opening Day after suffering a blister on his left index finger during spring training. In his last two rehab starts, Lodolo has gone 9⅓ innings and struck out 13 batters. The Reds are hopeful his return will help bring some steadiness to the rotation.

The Reds will then send their stopper — Chase Burns — to the mound on Saturday. The fireballer has been Cincinnati's best starting pitcher this season, and he'll be looking to add another tally to the win column over the weekend. Last year's All-Star Andrew Abbott is expected to round out the rotation on Sunday.

So, with the Reds' top-3 starters taking the bump during the upcoming series against a dilapidated Astros club, the makings are there for Terry Francona's bunch to turn things around relatively quickly. A couple wins over the weekend would do a lot to calm the nerves of the folks throughout Reds Country, and though it can be difficult to remember at times, there's a lot of baseball yet to be played.

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