The worst the Reds have done in a 162-game season was 61-101 (.377) in 1982. At their current pace, the Reds would lose close to 107 games. Since Major League Baseball started playing 162 games in 1961, only 17 teams have lost 107 or more games.
The Reds take a seven-game losing streak to Los Angeles, where they start a 10-game road trip on Monday night. After a 5-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday at Great American Ball Park, manager Bryan Price tried to keep hope alive.
“You always have optimism,” he said. “Things are going to turn. It’s just when is it going to happen. In the midst of it, it’s frustrating for everybody.”
With the season a quarter of the way over, here’s a look back at the best and worst of the Reds season:
MVP: Shortstop Zack Cozart has turned in the only All-Star performance for the Reds in the first 44 games. He's hitting .323. No one else is hitting better than .270.
Two seasons ago, in his last full season, Cozart hit .221. He leads the Reds in runs scored (24) and doubles (14).
Worst surprise: Joey Votto's batting average has plummeted to .205, which is .109 worse than last season and .31 worse than any other regular in the lineup.
However, Votto still leads the team in on-base percentage (.341). That would be the worst number of his career if it doesn’t improve.
Best surprise: Dan Straily, who appeared in only four big league games last season with the Houston Astros, has been the team's top starter. He's 2-1 with a 2.85 ERA in seven starts.
Worst game: The Reds lost 16-0 to the Chicago Cubs on April 21 and were no-hit by Jake Arrieta. That's not only the worst performance of the season. It might be the team's worst performance ever.
Best game: The Reds peaked in their fifth game, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 on a walkoff triple by Jay Bruce to improve to 5-1. The bullpen didn't allow a run in that game but in the next game began a Major League-record streak of 23 straight games with at least one run allowed.
Worst stat: The Reds bullpen has allowed 117 earned runs in 162 2/3 innings (6.47 ERA). To put in perspective just how bad that is, former Reds closer Aroldis Chapman has allowed 78 earned runs in his entire career (326 innings, 2.15 ERA).
The best Reds bullpen in recent memory — the 2012 group that included Chapman, J.J. Hoover, Sam LeCure Alfredo Simon and Jonathan Broxton among others — allowed 128 earned runs in the entire season and posted a 2.65 ERA.
Worst luck: The Reds rank sixth in baseball in games lost to injury, according to ManGamesLost.com, which tracks injuries. The Reds, who have had 11 players go on the disabled list, have seen players miss 301 games in all. That also includes players who were hurt but didn't go on the DL.
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