The last win during the streak was a 7-1, 12-hit, seven doubles barrage against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Then came the next two against the last place Pirates, 15-and-32 when the three-game series began.
The Reds lost, 1-0, on Tuesday and lost 3-1 on Wednesday afternoon. In three games against Pittsburgh, the Reds gave up five runs and lost the series, two games to one.
And the degree of difficulty on the next 36 games takes a drastic turn upward. In those 36 games, the Reds face 33 against teams over .500.
After a day off Thursday, the Reds open a three-game series Friday night against the high-riding Chicago Cubs, the occupants of first place in the National League Central, a team averaging more than six runs a game.
Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene comes off the injured list to start Friday with a mission to hold the Cubs to zero runs, which he might need to do to win it.
Amazingly, the Pirates stretched their streak of not scoring more than four runs to 26 straight games, but won the last two games.
PNC Park has been a desolate place for the Reds with 41 losses in their last 60 appearances at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers.
On Wednesday, the Reds produced only four hits, three singles and a double.
There were no home runs hit by either team during the series, but the Pirates didn’t need them.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
It was a struggle for Reds starter Brady Singer, who suffered lack of control and command throughout his five innings.
He gave up two runs, five hits, walked four and struck out three during a 102-pitch day, only 57 in the strike zone.
He was in over his head from the start when Oneil Cruz singled and Isiah Kiner-Falefa doubled, putting runners on third and second with no outs.
Bryan Reynolds hit a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0, but Singer escaped more damage when Kiner-Falefa tried to score from third on a shallow fly to right. Rece Hinds threw him out.
The Reds tied it, 1-1, after the first two batters made outs in the third. Santiago Espinal singled, Elly De La Cruz walked and Austin Hayes rolled a run-scoring single to left.
That was it. From there, the end of the third through the ninth, the Reds had one hit, a single by Tyler Stephenson in the sixth.
The Pirates scored the go-ahead and winning run in the fourth, an inning that began with Singer walking Ke’Bryan Hayes and he took third on a single by Adam Frazier.
With one out, Singer faced catcher and No. 9 hitter Henry Davis, owner of a .150 batting average and three RBI for the year.
Make it four RBI. He singled to left field to scored Hayes for a 2-1 lead.
“Singer competed like crazy, but he had to because he had four walks and five hits in five innings,” said Reds manager Tito Francona. “He still kept ‘em to where we had a chance. But it was work for him right from the get-go.”
And with the Reds offense in deep freeze, they took a couple of chances on the basepaths late in the game and both fizzled.
In the sixth, with two outs and nobody on, Spencer Steer walked on a full count. Stephenson shot a base hit toward the left field corner.
Steer never stopped running and tried to score from first. Pittsburgh left fielder and former Reds outfielder Tommy Pham retrieved the ball and whistled a relay throw to shortstop Kiner-Falefa.
Kiner-Falefa’s throw home was picture-perfect and Steer was tagged out.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Because the Pirates started lefthanded pitchers the last two games, Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney, the lefthanded-hitting Will Benson did not start, despite his scorching hot hitting last week that earned him National League Player of the Week.
But with righthanded relief pitcher and former Reds pitcher Tanner Rainey on the mound, Benson pinch-hit with two outs in the seventh.
Rainey hit Benson on the foot and the potential tying run was on first. Benson tried to steal second and Davis delivered again, this time defensively, by throwing out Benson.
After that, the last six Reds went down in order with Steer and Stephenson striking out as the last two batters.
Asked about the offense’s disappearing act, Francona said, “I keep it to today’s game. We made him (Pirates starter Heaney) work with a ton of pitches but we didn’t have much to show for it.”
Like Singer, Heaney didn’t work past five innings because he threw 99 pitches while holding the Reds to one run, three hits, one walk and four strikeouts.
“That’s difficult because we didn’t get a lot of hits, but we did make him work,” said Francona. “And you like to hope that gives you a better chance to win.”
But Pittsburgh’s bullpen of Chase Shugert, Rainey, Caleb Ferguson and Dennis Santana held the Reds to no runs and one hit over the final four innings.
The Reds continue to use the leather better than their bats with some outstanding defensive plays, three in one inning.
In the fifth, center fielder TJ Friedl raced to the wall to flag down a long drive with a backhanded snag. Then right fielder Rece Hinds sprinted to the wall on back-to-back plays to steal away extra base hits.
Singer was appreciative, knowing those plays saved perhaps two or three runs.
“First of all, the defense was incredible, they saved me a lot out there,” he said. “It was just a battle for me. I just kind of made it hard on myself with the walks. I had to battle to try to keep the team in the game.”
By giving up only two runs, he did his job, but over the last two days the offense has taken a hiatus.
NEXT GAME
Who: Cubs at Reds
When: 6:40 p.m.
TV: FanDuel Sports
Radio: 1410-AM, 700-AM
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