Missed chances leave Reds wanting after frustrating series

CINCINNATI -- Missed chances and untimely errors closed out a lost weekend for the Reds.

Tarik Skubal (10-3) showed why he is on a short list of leading candidates for the American League Cy Young Award and a possible All-Star starting nod with a dominant performance that looked equal parts effortless and overpowering.

The Detroit lefty allowed one run and three hits over seven innings, striking out a career-high 13 while walking none in a 5-1 win over Cincinnati that finished a three-game sweep before 25,451 fans at Great American Ball Park.

“It was tough,” Reds manager David Bell said of Skubal. “And I know our players aren't going to want to admit to that, but he ... is good. I mean, there's no question. Throwing 100 [mph] and really good off-speed pitches. Made for tough at-bats today.”

Cincinnati struck out 15 times in getting swept at home for the third time this season. Jonathan India went hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts, snapping his on-base streak at 17 games.

The Reds played the game short-handed as outfielder Stuart Fairchild was unavailable due to a back issue that cropped up on Saturday and didn’t improve by Sunday.

Fresh off a three-game sweep of the Yankees in New York and a 5-2 road trip, Cincinnati is now 0-3 during a 10-game homestand that had so much expectation and hope.

“Obviously, it was a tough weekend for us,” Bell said. “There's no question about it. So now, we will regroup and figure out how to get going as quickly as we can. Coming off the road trip and then coming into this weekend -- and we were feeling great -- it's been a tough weekend. So, we've got to figure out how to get our energy back and continue to do the things that we do. We’ll focus on that.”

Austin Wynns opened the third inning Sunday with a line drive to left that a diving Matt Vierling couldn’t handle. It rolled to the wall for a double. But Skubal fanned two of the next three batters.

In the sixth, Will Benson hit a clean liner to left for a lead-off single. Skubal responded by striking out the next three Reds.

The southpaw struck out 12, walked none, allowed two hits and needed just 76 pitches to get through the first six scoreless innings.

Cincinnati finally solved Skubal in the seventh, beginning with Jeimer Candelario's double to right. Zach McKinstry bobbled a Spencer Steer grounder at short. Following a wild pitch, the Reds had runners at second and third with none out.

Cincinnati scored just once, though, on a Noelvi Marte groundout. The Reds failed to move Steer to third with fewer than two outs, and the Tigers -- and Skubal -- escaped with a 2-1 lead.

The bottom fell out in the eighth with closer Alexis Díaz in to hold the Tigers at bay. Marte booted a ball at third with two outs, setting the stage for a two-run homer from McKinstry. The Tigers added a third unearned run off Díaz before the inning was through, and just like that, the game and the series was over.

Before that, timely defense came to the aid of Cincinnati pitching again Sunday, and starter Graham Ashcraft (5-5) was the beneficiary. And he needed it, as the Tigers put the leadoff man on in the second, third and fourth innings.

Detroit put runners on in all five innings Ashcraft was on the hill. Ashcraft allowed a two-out single and a walk in the first but got out of it when Wenceel Pérez grounded out to second.

Gio Urshela opened the second with a single, only to have Candelario snare a McKinstry liner and turn it into an easy double play, eliciting a fist-pump and nod of approval from Ashcraft on his bobblehead day.

Santiago Espinal and Elly De La Cruz also turned a clutch double play in the fourth when the Tigers had their first three batters reach for a 1-0 lead before Ashcraft avoided further trouble.

Still, Ashcraft wasn't thrilled when Bell went to pull him with two outs in the fifth and a runner on second. Ashcraft took the loss, allowing just one run on six hits, walking three and striking out two.

The Reds must now find a way to regroup against the Rockies for the upcoming four-game series.

“If we can just have the guys go out there and play hard like they have been all year, we're gonna be in a great spot," Ashcraft said. "It was one of those series. We know what we’ve got to do. We’ve just got to keep building off it, and just keep getting after it day by day. And it'll take care of itself.”