The Cincinnati Reds had a weekend series to forget against the visiting Baltimore Orioles. After a six-game road trip to end the month of April, the Reds came back home for a quick six-game homestand. The first part of this homestand has been one to forget, as the Reds offense is hitting rock bottom.
A three-game series sweep is bad enough, but the offensive production during those three games was even worse. In the ninth inning of Sunday’s game, the Reds avoided being shut out by scoring their only run of the day. That lone run also avoided the team tying a franchise record dating back to 1932.
Just once in franchise history, in 1932, has a Reds team scored one or fewer runs in a three-game series at home. With a shutout on Friday and one run scored on Saturday, the Reds came two outs away from tying that record Sunday afternoon. The offense as a whole struggled all weekend with a team slash line of .122/.168/.144.
Reds making History… #pain pic.twitter.com/iwmE1LoAu5
— WINCINNATI (@WINCINNATI_) May 5, 2024
Reds Offense Hitting Rock Bottom
Heading into the season, the Reds offense was seen as a strength. But 34 games into the season, it is the complete opposite. Now, that is all without saying that three of their primary hitters have yet to play a game this year. TJ Friedl and Matt McLain have both been on the injured list. Plus, Noelvi Marte is serving an 80-game suspension from Major League Baseball. So just how bad is the Reds offense right now?
At .209, the Reds now have the worst batting average in MLB. And it’s dropping fast. pic.twitter.com/fdFXtowmEz
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) May 5, 2024
As a team, the Reds have put together a batting average of .210. That ranks dead last in all of baseball. Five players with a minimum of 70 plate appearances have an average of over .200. The Reds are also ranked in the bottom three for strikeout percentage throughout MLB.
So can it get better for the Reds? Of course, it will. The Reds are in a serious rut currently on offense. But that’s not to say they will continue to hit around the .200 line all year. Elly De La Cruz has cooled down after his impressive month of April. Spencer Steer has slashed just .137/.224/.235 over the last two weeks. Don’t expect those two to continue their downward slide.
The Reds are in desperate need of their offense to turn the corner. Their pitching has held its own so far this year, but you can’t expect them to hold their ground with no support all season long. It’s only going to get tougher for the Reds.
Photo Credit: © Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
