KSReds: Cincinnati Reds See Playoff Hopes Slip Away

The Cincinnati Reds played 156 meaningful baseball games this season. That was certainly more than even the most optimistic fans likely expected going into the year. It allowed for a lot of fun summer nights and a legitimate September playoff race. However, those postseason hopes likely came to an end this weekend against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Friday and Saturday saw the Reds blow late leads, making it three straight after also losing a ninth inning advantage on Wednesday against the Twins. Saturday’s loss was of truly epic proportions as Cincinnati blew the first nine-run lead of the MLB season. Now, the Reds sit 2.5 games out of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. That is a lot to overcome with just five games left in the season.

Next up for the Cincinnati Reds, after an off day on Monday, is a two-game set in Cleveland against the Guardians. Hunter Greene will start game one at 6:10 p.m. EST on Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday at 6:10 p.m. EST, Andrew Abbot will make what is likely his last appearance of the season. The Ohio Cup is currently tied at one game a piece.

7th Inning Rally Lifts Pirates Over Reds

On Wednesday night, the Cincinnati Reds blew a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins. Fast forward to Friday night and the Reds bullpen once again could not hold onto a lead. Seemingly every time the offense got on the board the pitching staff would allow the Pittsburgh Pirates to return the favor. There were three different blown leads in Friday night’s contest that led to a third straight loss. It is never fun to watch a win slip through your grasp, but they are even more excruciating in the midst of a September playoff chase.

Cincinnati got on the board first with a Jonathan India sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second inning. It was a classic run manufactured by the speed of Elly De La Cruz. The 21-year-old singled, stole second, and stole third before coming home on India’s deep fly ball to center field. However, Pittsburgh would soon start its parade of long balls. In the fourth, Ke’Bryan Hayes tied the game with a solo home run to right field. Then, in the fifth, Henry Davis squeaked one over the wall in left to give the Pirates a 2-1 advantage. The Reds reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the fifth thanks to some poor defense by Pittsburgh shortstop Liover Peguero. He misplayed back-to-back balls which allowed Cincinnati to score twice and retake a 3-2 lead without the ball having to leave the infield.

The back-and-forth nature of this game continued on in the sixth. Two more solo home runs, this time off the bats of Jared Triolo and Endy Rodriguez, lifted the Pirates on top 4-3. However, TJ Friedl answered with a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth making it 5-4 Cincinnati. That would be all the offense the Reds could muster though.

Ian Gibaut allowed two runs on three hits while recording just two outs in the seventh inning to blow the lead. Pittsburgh would add one more in the ninth after Daniel Duarte walked three batters. David Bednar slammed the door shut in the bottom of the ninth for the Pirates as they would come away with a 7-5 series-opening win. The loss dropped Cincinnati 1.5 games out of a playoff spot.

The Biggest Blown Lead of the Season

What happened on Saturday night doesn’t really even deserve to be written about. The Cincinnati Reds have played 156 meaningful baseball games this season, but this one was probably their last. Despite building a 9-0 lead against the Pittsburgh Pirates through three innings, the Reds bullpen somehow managed to find a way to lose the game. It was a meltdown of historic proportions and the largest blown lead of the MLB season. Most importantly, the loss dropped Cincinnati 2.5 games out of a playoff spot.

The Pirates’ comeback technically started with a run in the fourth inning, but things really got interesting in the sixth. A pair of run-scoring singles made it 9-3 before Bryan Reynolds belted a three-run home run to get the score to 9-6. Still, with a three-run lead going into the seventh, Reds fans had reason to feel okay. That would quickly change though as Alfonso Rivas came through with a bases-loaded double that tied the game. The hit came off of Lucas Sims, but it was Fernando Cruz who allowed the base runners. Cruz did not record an out but was responsible for the three runs after allowing two hits and a walk.

Somehow things kept getting even worse in the eighth inning. Alexis Diaz, who would be saddled with the loss, allowed four runs on five hits while getting just two outs. The Reds closer had a great season overall, but definitely seemed to run out of gas of late. That certainly was true as the season slipped away on Saturday night.

Despite 13 unanswered runs from the Pirates, the Reds actually clawed back into the game. They had the tying run at third base with one out in the ninth, but Elly De La Cruz struck out and Jonathan India flew out to center field to end the game. The 13-12 excruciating, embarrassing loss likely ended Cincinnati’s playoff chances.

Reds Avoid Sweep, Earn 80th Win of the Season

This time of year, what other teams do can be just as important as what you do. For example, when the Cincinnati Reds blew leads on Wednesday and Friday, they didn’t really fall in the Wild Card standings. Scoreboard watching had been kind to the ball club until Saturday’s ugly loss dropped them 2.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot. The same can be true on the winning side of the coin too.

Despite earning a 4-2 victory on Sunday afternoon, the Reds did not make up any ground as the Cubs and Marlins both won as well. Cincinnati remains 2.5 games out of the playoffs with just five games remaining in the season. While not technically eliminated, the Reds are in a very precarious position.

In the final game at Great American Ball Park of the regular season, the Reds were the ones that came from behind. Pittsburgh built a 2-0 advantage in the top of the fifth which included a Jack Suwinski solo home run. However, Cincinnati had the comeback magic this time around. TJ Friedl belted a two-run home run to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Then, in the seventh, Friedl contributed the go-ahead single scoring Jonathan India to make it 3-2. Christian Encarnacion-Strand added an insurance run in the eighth with a solo shot to set the eventual final score of 4-2.

The Reds bullpen turned in quite a contrast of performance from their last few outings. On Sunday afternoon they pitched four and two-thirds innings of shutout baseball to close out the game. Buck Farmer, Sam Moll, Lucas Sims, Alexis Diaz, and Ian Gibaut combined for a much-needed bounce-back performance. Sims earned the save for his seventh inning of work while Gibaut picked up his third save of the season.