By MIKE ROBERTS
It was a frustrating week for the Cincinnati Reds, who lost two out of three games to both the Atlanta Braves and the Kansas City Royals. The Reds were in first place not long ago, but now, heading into their first weekend series of June, they find themselves last in the National League Central with a 31-30 record. The good news? There’s a lot of time left for the team to get back to where they need to be. Here are a few positives for the Reds this past week.
Getting it Dunn, Again
Blake Dunn (.276 AVG., .750 OPS, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB) was instrumental in Tuesday’s victory over Kansas City, which was the Reds’ lone win of the series. Dunn hit a walk-off single during the 10th inning to drive in automatic runner Spencer Steer (.278 AVG., .817 OPS, 9 HR, 23 RBI, 3 SB) and give Cincinnati a 4-3 win.
Dunn has a knack for coming through in the clutch as this was his second extra-inning walk-off of the past 10 days. He also had two hits, including a home run, in Wednesday night’s 5-2 loss to the Royals.
Possible Future Star Arrives
On Monday, the Reds placed star shortstop Elly De La Cruz (.280 AVG., .855 OPS, 12 HR, 37 RBI, 10 SB) on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right hamstring. That’s horrible news, seeing that he’s the team’s best player.
In his place, the Reds also called up top infield prospect Edwin Arroyo from Triple-A Louisville. The 22-year-old was tearing it up in the minors this year, hitting .323 with a .945 OPS with nine doubles, five triples, and 11 home runs in 53 games.
Arroyo made his debut in Monday’s 9-2 loss to the Royals. Although he struck out his first three times at the plate, he lined a first-pitch changeup in the bottom of the ninth, and later scored from first base. Arroyo definitely is a player to watch.
Lodolo Looks Like Himself
Make it two straight victories for Nick Lodolo (2-1, 5.20 ERA, 1.37 WHIP), who pitched the Reds to victory in Sunday’s 6-4 win over the Braves.
Lodolo pitched six innings, allowing three runs and five hits, including a pair of home runs, to go along with four walks and four strikeouts. He got help from hitters like JJ Bleday (.289 AVG., 1.003 OPS, 10 HR, 27 RBI, 1 SB) and Eugenio Suarez (.214 AVG., .645 OPS, 4 HR, 15 RBI).
Steer Continues to Reach Base
Heading into Friday’s game against St. Louis, Spencer Steer has reached base in 22 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in MLB. That’s not too shabby. While Dunn was the hero in Tuesday’s win over the Royals, you have to give Steer a lot of props as well. The outfielder homered twice, which was the fourth multi-home run game of his career. He just might be an All-Star this year if he keeps playing like this.
Bleday is on Fire!
Speaking of All-Stars, the Reds’ JJ Bleday is starting to make a strong case for a bid this year. He was named the National League Player of the Month after a red-hot May. Bleday hit .301 with eight homers, 25 RBI, eight doubles, a triple, 15 walks, 17 runs scored, a stolen base, and a .387 on-base percentage in 27 games. He also led the National League in slugging, OPS, and total bases in May. In Cincinnati’s past two series, Bleday homered twice against the Braves and once against Kansas City.
Looking Ahead
Next up, the Reds will hit the road to play a pair of three-game series: one against the St. Louis Cardinals starting Friday, and one against the San Diego Padres, beginning on Monday.
Here’s a look at the upcoming schedule, including TV information and probable pitchers:
Friday, 6/5: 8:15 PM, MLB.TV/Reds.TV, Brady Singer (CIN) (2-5, 6.18 ERA, 1.69 WHIP) vs. Kyle Leahy (STL) (5-3, 4.25 ERA, 1.56 WHIP)
Saturday, 6/6: 2:15 PM, MLB.TV, Nick Lodolo (CIN) (2-1, 5.20, 1.37 WHIP) vs. Matthew Liberatore (CIN) (3-3, 4.35 ERA, 1.50 WHIP)
Sunday, 6/7: 2:15 PM, MLB.TV/Reds.TV, Rhett Lowder (CIN) (3-3, 5.40 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) vs. Michael McGreevy (STL) (3-5, 2.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP)
Monday, 6/8: 9:40 PM, MLB.TV/Reds.TV, TBD (CIN) vs. TBD (SD)
Tuesday, 6/9: 9:40 PM, MLB.TV/Reds.TV, TBD (CIN) vs. TBD (SD)
Wednesday, 6/10: 4:10 PM, MLB.TV/Reds.TV, TBD (CIN) vs. TBD (SD)