McCoy: Losing continues for Reds, who are off to worst start in 91 years

Cincinnati falls to 3-17 with loss to Rockies

A six-game trip for the Cincinnati Reds began on a Rocky Mountain low Friday night in Denver.

On a cold night with high velocity winds in Coors Field, the Reds lost for the 15th time in 16 games and watched their record to slide to 3-17.

And it wasn’t even close: Colorado 10, Cincinnati 4.

It is Cincinnati’s worst start to a season since 1931 when the team began the season 2-16. The Rockies began the game on a four-game losing streak and the Reds had won five straight over Colorado dating back to last season.

The Rockies scored only nine runs while losing four straight in Philadelphia, but piled 10 on the Reds in one game.

None of that mattered as the Rockies erupted for 14 hits, six for extra bases (two homers, four doubles).

Reds’ starter Hunter Greene gave up a pair of home runs on his decreased velocity fastballs and it was enough for the Rockies to pin a fourth straight defeat on the Reds. And it was a third straight defeat for Greene in his four major league starts, pushing his earned run average to 6.00.

After throwing 39 fastballs above 100 miles per hour against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Greene has gone two straight starts without once touching 100.

Rockies catcher Elias Diaz swung at Greene’s first pitch of the second inning, a 97 mph fastball, and launched it over the right field wall.

Greene gave up a double to Charlie Blackmon to open the fifth and C.J. Cron singled. That brought up Ryan McMahon, whom Greene had struck out twice.

Not this time. McMahon drilled a three-run home run into the right field second deck for a 4-1 lead.

Greene’s night was a rather pedestrian 4 1/3 innings, four runs, six hits, four walks, six strikeouts, 94 pitches and two home runs.

The Rockies made it 5-1 in the sixth against relief pitcher Luis Cessa on a walk, a ground ball and Cron’s run-scoring single.

Colorado started Antonio Senzatela, against whom hitters were batting .448 against so far this season. And it was Senzatela who gave up Miguel Cabrera’s 3,000th career hit.

Every time the Reds put runners on base, the rally ended with the Rockies turning double plays. It happened four times. During Thursday’s loss to San Diego, the Reds rolled into three double plays — seven double plays in 18 innings.

The Reds scored a run in the fourth on Tommy Pham’s double, Joey Votto’s bloop to center and Kyle Farmer’s sacrifice fly. But the inning ended when Brandon Drury hit into a double play. Pham finished with four hits and two RBI.

It was more egregious in the sixth when the Reds filled the bases with one out. Jonathan India, who had three hits, rolled into a double play.

The Rockies tacked on four runs in the seventh against rookie left-hander Phillip Diehl, a Cincinnati product out of Moeller High School. He faced nine batters and seven reached base.

Diaz opened with a single. With one out, he gave up three straight doubles, one to former Reds shortstop Jose Iglesias and one to former Reds farmhand Connor Joe.

The Reds scored three runs in the ninth.

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