Injury-plagued rotation has Reds in dire straits

CINCINNATI -- Two first-place teams -- the Braves and the Reds -- played three thrilling games in their weekend series at Great American Ball Park in front of three loud sellout crowds. All were decided by one run.

It felt like October baseball, and fans would probably love to watch these teams again in the postseason. But if the Reds don't solve their starting pitching problems, their playoff chances would diminish.

Despite a huge game from Matt McLain (four extra-base hits and five RBIs), Cincinnati fell, 7-6, on Sunday afternoon to drop the last two games of the series.

"We were in every game. It sucks that we lost the series, but it was a good atmosphere to play in," McLain said. "That’s where you want to be at the end of the season -- games that feel like that."

Thrilling comebacks with tenacious offensive support and strong bullpen efforts helped cover for the rotation in many of the Reds’ 41 wins, especially over their 12-game winning streak. But what happens when the comebacks fall short and the bullpen can't come through? It only underscores how dire the situation has become.

The three starters -- Luke Weaver, Graham Ashcraft and Levi Stoudt -- combined for 14 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings (12.91 ERA) this series. Overall, the rotation is ranked 28th in MLB with a 5.91 ERA and 24th in innings pitched while missing Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo to injuries.

Stoudt gave up three runs and four hits over three innings, with three walks and two strikeouts. The organization's No. 13-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline was recalled from Triple-A Louisville on Sunday, but not for his 5.00 ERA in 10 starts for the Bats.

Sunday was Stoudt's turn to pitch for Louisville, and the Reds needed a starter after Ben Lively went on the injured list with a right pectoral muscle strain.

Stoudt was coming off his own injury and had been getting eased back at Louisville, with 3 2/3 innings over his previous two starts.

By the third inning on Sunday, fatigue appeared to set in, as Stoudt gave up three runs to put the Reds in a 3-0 deficit.

"He was still on a progression in Triple-A to get back healthy. [Stoudt] finds out yesterday [he’s getting called up], came in against that lineup," Reds manager David Bell said. "Levi is a good pitcher. He’s going to be here. He’s going to do well here. Given the circumstances, that was a really good effort, and [he] gave us a shot."

Another Louisville starter summoned to provide multiple innings, 30-year-old rookie Randy Wynne, made a nice big league debut with one run allowed in 2 1/3 innings. But the bullpen was shorthanded. Ian Gibaut gave up a three-run homer to Matt Olson in the sixth inning that snapped a 3-3 tie. Closer Alexis Díaz came in for Buck Farmer in the eighth inning to shut down a rally, but he walked two batters -- including one with the bases loaded.

Once again, the Reds’ offense picked up the pitchers. McLain, who doubled and scored on Spencer Steer’s RBI double in the third inning, had five RBIs. He hit a game-tying two-run double in the fourth inning to make it 3-3 and added a leadoff homer in the seventh inning.

"We want that to be part of our identity, to play the game the right way no matter the score," McLain said. "When you do that, things like that happen. We just want that to be a part of us the rest of the year.”

In the bottom of the eighth inning with Cincinnati trailing, 7-4, McLain notched his fourth extra-base hit of the game with a two-run double. But in the ninth, with runners on the corners and one out, the Reds couldn’t push the go-ahead runs across.

"It's important to have the attitude and the expectation of winning those close games," Joey Votto said. "I was frustrated we lost the series. I thought these were winnable games. You know, each game is its own thing. Streak or not, I thought, 'Let's just keep winning all available games.'"

The Reds hold a half-game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central race. General manager Nick Krall said last week the club is seeking starting pitchers, but the market will be slow to move with so many clubs still in contention ahead of the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline.

The Reds' rotation solution will have to come from within in the meantime. Major League veteran Alec Mills signed with Louisville on May 17 and has appeared in two games. No. 10 prospect Connor Phillips has pitched well for Double-A Chattanooga and is close to a promotion to Triple-A.