The Reds drop another winnable series as the offense continues to slide
On Thursday, during a 6-4 loss to the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell made a decision that showed how much trouble the Reds’ offense is in.
In the bottom of the first inning, because of how much the Reds’ offense has been struggling, Bell called a delayed double steal with Jeimer Candelario on third base. On the play, Spencer Steer executed a delayed steal from first base and hesitated on purpose between first and second base. The move forced a throw to second base, and Candelario tried to race home as the ball was in the air.
It’s usually a play that teams reserve for when their fastest base runners are at third base. The Padres executed the 2-6-2 putout and caught Candelario with a tag at home plate that ended the inning.
On that play, Bell took the bat out of right fielder Nick Martini’s hands. Later in the game, Martini hit a game-tying two-run homer.
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Martini, who let two runs score in the top of the first inning when he couldn’t catch up to a high fly ball to right field, was called up on Tuesday in an attempt to spark the offense. Bell put Martini in right field over Stuart Fairchild on Thursday as Bell prioritized offense over defense.But when Martini received an opportunity early in the game to change the game with a swing of the bat, he didn’t even get to swing.
Bell continues to push a lot of buttons to try to fix the offense. There have been roster moves and lineup changes. The Reds have tried using a very patient approach at the plate, and they’ve tried being extremely aggressive. They’ve turned toward the running game to ignite the offense with moves like the delayed double steal on Thursday.
It hasn’t been enough for a team that hasn’t won a series since April 21. In May, the Reds have a 4-16 record.
They had opportunities to pull ahead on Thursday. In the second inning, the Reds loaded the bases with no outs and only plated one run. In the fifth inning, shortstop Elly De La Cruz got thrown out at the plate.
The Reds struck out 16 times on Thursday against the Padres, and nearly every hitter in the Reds’ lineup is working through an adjustment process as everyone tries to turn their individual seasons around.
Starting pitcher Frankie Montas allowed four runs on nine hits across six innings, with the Padres pouncing on fastballs early in counts. He had his third straight discouraging outing, and his fastball hasn’t been quite as dynamic over his last few outings.
The Reds tied the score in the sixth inning on Martini’s homer, but the Padres broke the tie in the top of the 10th inning. Reds left-handed reliever Sam Moll entered the game to face a stretch full of left-handed or switch hitters at the top of the Padres’ lineup, but the one right-handed hitter in that group put the Padres ahead.
Padres designated hitter Fernando Tatis Jr. laced an RBI double down the left field line. Then, Moll allowed an RBI sacrifice fly to second baseman Jake Cronenworth that gave the Padres a two-run lead.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The Reds lose to the Padres and drop another winnable series
