The Reds have been hitting better of late, but they are still dead last in average at .220 and 26th in on base percentage at .307. They are 27th in wRC+ and 26th in fWAR when it comes to offense. It’s clear that they still have a long way to go to get close to league average at the dish.
But prior to the last few games, Cincinnati relied on its stellar rotation to catapult their way to one of the best records in the National League. Even without ace Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, the Reds’ starters were among the best in major league baseball.
But this past time through the rotation, things have gotten ugly for the rotation. On April 29th Brandon Williamson could only manage three innings, walking four and giving up four earned runs. Injury or not, he has been absolutely ineffective in nearly every start he has made this year. He’s been tagged for three or more earned runs in five of his six starts this year and has a 6.11 ERA with 20 walks in just 28 innings. Nick Lodolo’s rehabilitation tour looks to be nearing its end, and honestly he cannot return soon enough to take Williamson’s spot in the rotation.
Against the Pirates in game one of the current series, Brady Singer could not get past the fourth inning. He allowed seven hits in and four earned runs in his outing. He has now given up 15 hits in his last two starts, as well as four home runs.
And then today brought us one of the most embarrassing games in recent Reds history. Rhett Lowder lasted just one and one third inning, surrendering a miserable eight runs and walking four. He has been extremely shaky in the first inning of starts this year, and today was no different, apart from the fact that he didn’t rebound, and only got worse as the game went on. After today’s outing his ERA has ballooned up to 5.09. He was not the only one to have problems, unfortunately. Cincinnati pitchers walked seven straight batters, tying a major league record that isn’t the good kind. Overall they gave 11 free passes, in a wildly frustrating display of a lack of control that you rarely see in baseball. And the opposition didn’t hesitate to punish every mistake as Pittsburgh battered the Reds for 17 runs off of 19 hits on route to losing the first two games of the series by a combined score of 26-8.
To be fair, Andrew Abbott did provide a bright spot for Cincinnati as he gave them six innings against the Rockies on April 30th. In that game he allowed just two earned runs and struck out five. Although his ERA is still 5.97, the hope is that with a solid outing under his belt, Abbott can shake off the bad start to 2026 and capture some of the fire that made him one of the best in the Reds rotation last year, especially with so many injuries and underperformances in the rotation so far this season.
Elly De La Cruz and company are still 20-13, which is admirable, but the National League Central is an absolute gauntlet this year. There is no room for error, as the Cubs have already taken advantage of the Reds’ stumbling, moving into the lead in the division at 21-12 and riding a four game winning streak. The hope is that the shellacking this team has taken in Pittsburgh this weekend is just a bump in the road, and not a sign of deeper flaws that have ridden the undercurrent of their success all year.
Put simply, Rhett Lowder, Brady Singer, and every starter not named Chase Burns cannot afford to continue to implode. They do not have to throw no-hitters or strike out double digits, but they must avoid the constant walks and meltdowns that have begun to derail what still can be a promising Reds season.
