Suárez: 'Got to figure out something to win'

It’s not enough to simply note that the Reds aren’t winning because they aren’t hitting. They’re still trying to figure why, and that’s because some of their numbers just don’t add up.

Eugenio Suárez slugged a two-run home run against Daniel Ponce de Leon in the top of the first inning on Sunday at Busch Stadium. But as has often been an issue for Cincinnati, the offense stopped producing during a 6-2 loss to the Cardinals to drop three of four in the series. With an 11-15 record, the club is a season-high four games under .500.

• Box score

“If I said anything else, I'd have to make it up. So I'll tell you the truth: I really believe that, just sometimes, that's the way things go, and if you don't stay with it, you lose your confidence,” Reds manager David Bell said. “I think that happened a little bit today. I think the last couple days we hit the ball hard. Today, it wasn't a great day, offensively. There's no secret there, so we just have to get back to trusting it and staying with it. We have good players and they've been through this before.”

The Reds' offense collected 17 hits for the entire four-game series. It was held to two hits on Friday but still won, 4-2, on Matt Davidson’s pinch-hit grand slam. On Sunday, it was held to just three hits, including Suárez’s homer.

Cincinnati nearly knocked out Ponce de Leon with one out in the second inning, when Tucker Barnhart’s four-pitch walk put runners on first and second base. But Joey Votto flied out to left field and Nick Castellanos grounded out as Ponce de Leon retired nine of the next 10 batters before the St. Louis bullpen locked down the rest of the game.

Since returning from a four-day shutdown because of a COVID-19 positive test for a player, the Reds are 2-4 and twice were shut out.

“We’ve got a better team than you guys think about,” Suárez said. “We’ve got a really good team, and we believe in what we can do. Right now, it’s not our best, but we still believe in our team.”

But something needs to turn around, and soon, with just over a month left in the season and the Aug 31 Trade Deadline approaching.

Here are some key issues that have plagued Cincinnati's offense:

• The .207 team batting average is ranked last in the Majors.

• A .226 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) also ranks last -- by a full 30 points.

• Over the last six games, the Reds are 1-for-21 with runners in scoring position.

• The top four spots in the Reds' lineup are batting a collective .187 for the season.

• Castellanos, who opened as one of baseball’s hottest hitters, is 6-for-45 (.133) over his last 12 games, including 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Votto, who was moved into the leadoff spot this week, is 8-for-49 (.163) over his last 14 games and 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

• Suárez is batting .149 with a .592 OPS and four homers in 2020 after he slugged 49 home runs last season.

“We believe in our team. We believe in our lineup,” Bell said. “We believe in our guys who don't start every day. We've gotten big contributions from the guys off the bench. I’ll go to the end of the season with this team and see where we end up. That's not to say you're not evaluating and willing to make adjustments, but at the same time, we have good players. You don't do that to good players. You stay with them for the course of the season, even in a short season.”

There are also some good reasons Bell wants to stay with his hitters:

• Cincinnati's hitters’ expected weighted batting average (xwBA) -- a statistic that measures quality of contact -- was ranked seventh in MLB entering Sunday, according to Statcast.

• The Reds have connected for barrels on 5.2 percent of all plate appearances, ranked 10th in the Majors.

• Reds hitters have been difficult to strike out. Their 22.1 strikeout percentage ranks in the top-half in the Majors.

“I believe in the baseball gods, and I think that as long as you’re not putting a lot of pressure on yourself, stuff will fall,” utility player Kyle Farmer said before the game. “Hard-hit balls that get caught will fall into dinks that will find a hole in the triangle behind first, second and the right fielder. We’ve got to keep pushing, got to keep working. I think the baseball gods will support the ones who work the hardest.”

There are two more pivotal series looming, with the next four games at Milwaukee, followed by four vs. the National League Central-leading Cubs at Great American Ball Park. The Reds’ best three starting pitchers -- Trevor Bauer, Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray -- will work the next three games.

“It’s tough losing and [to] have a game with three hits, it’s not good for us,” Suárez said. “We got to figure out something to win the games. That’s all that matters for us right now.”