The Reds ended a rocky month of May on a positive note Monday afternoon, turning in an impressive all-around performance in an 11-1 victory over the Phillies at Great American Ball Park.

Max Schrock had a huge day at the plate before exiting the game following his seventh-inning double with a slight left calf strain. Meanwhile, Kyle Farmer turned in a career-best five-RBI day and Nick Castellanos extended his hitting streak to 17 games.

That all came in support of left-hander Wade Miley, who allowed just one run over six innings in his return from the injured list.

The end result was the Reds winning back-to-back games for just the third time in May. As the calendar flips to June, they'll shift their focus toward trying to win three straight for the first time since April 3-9, when they reeled off six consecutive wins following an Opening Day loss against the Cardinals.

Let's take a closer look at what went wrong and what went right for the club in May, as well as what awaits in June:

WHAT WENT WRONG

Pitching woes
Miley turned in a much-needed solid pitching performance in his return to the mound. Though Miley also tossed a no-hitter on May 7 in Cleveland, it was an otherwise forgettable month for Cincinnati's pitching staff.

The Reds entered Monday's game with a 5.03 ERA in May, fourth-highest in the Majors. Those struggles were split evenly between the starting rotation (5.05 ERA, 25th in MLB) and the bullpen (4.99 ERA, 24th).

And yet, the Reds finished the month by allowing one run or fewer in four of their final five games. Miley turned in the latest encouraging outing, striking out six, and perhaps most important, throwing 102 pitches to get through six innings despite his 11-day layoff.

"That's huge for our bullpen. Those guys got worked a little bit on the road trip, and I wanted to go as deep as I could," Miley said. "[Manager] David [Bell] asked me at the end of the fifth how I felt and I said, 'Let's go. I feel fine.' I was able to grab one more and the bullpen came in and locked it down."

Injuries piling up
Miley's was far from the only key injury the team had to battle through in May. It started early, with Joey Votto fracturing his left thumb after being hit by a pitch in Cincinnati's May 5 game against the White Sox.

Mike Moustakas joined him on the IL on May 20 due to a right heel contusion. The bad news kept coming one day later, when the Reds placed Nick Senzel on the IL with what was initially described as left knee inflammation. He then underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Friday to clear up meniscus tissue and assess any further damage.

While Senzel is expected to miss most, if not all, of June, Cincinnati is hoping for a quicker timetable on Votto and Moustakas. With a number of key pieces missing for a good chunk of May, the Reds entered Monday's game averaging just 4.2 runs per game in the month -- down from 5.4 in April.

Monday's 11-run outburst was a step in the right direction, though Schrock -- one of the key contributors -- could be the latest Reds player to land on the IL, with Bell saying that move could come on Tuesday after Schrock sustained a calf injury while running the bases on his seventh-inning double.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Castellanos cruising
Castellanos will take a 17-game hitting streak into June after picking up another base hit in Monday's win. He hit a blistering .409 with 14 extra-base hits and a 1.143 OPS over 24 games in May. He also continues to play improved defense, making a leaping catch to rob Andrew McCutchen of an extra-base hit to lead off the second inning.

"He has always been a good hitter, and he has been a good player now for a long time, even though he’s young," Bell said. "Just the way he continues to work, he wants to be the best in all areas of the game."

Players stepping up
Schrock had a huge day at the plate in Monday's win, finishing a single shy of the cycle. After a two-run homer in the second inning -- just the second of his career and his first in a Reds uniform -- Schrock added an RBI triple in the fifth and a double in the seventh. It was on that double, however, that he pulled up between first and second base before departing the game.

“He’s a lot of fun to watch hit the baseball and take at-bats," Farmer said. "He started out, got the energy going in the dugout for us with that nice home run. He had a great day at the plate -- hopefully he’s OK -- but that started it off. I’m just following his lead, just taking it one at-bat a time and following him up.”

Farmer snapped an 0-for-17 skid with a two-run homer of his own in the third inning, then added an RBI single in the fifth and a two-run double in the seventh.

In addition to Votto and Moustakas, the Reds were playing without Jesse Winker, who received a planned day off.

"I mean, that’s what a team is all about. Like we talked about earlier, tough to take Wink out of the lineup," Bell said. "And then for, really, the entire lineup and Wade and the bullpen all to come through like that, it was a great day. And you’re right, Max Schrock and Kyle Farmer both had great days. It couldn’t come at a better time."

WHAT COMES NEXT

After finishing May on a high note, the Reds will have plenty of opportunities to play their way into contention in June.

Of their 27 games in June, all but five -- three against the Rockies and two against the Twins -- are against NL foes with postseason aspirations. That includes what could prove to be a pivotal four-game set this weekend in St. Louis following the conclusion of this three-game series vs. Philadelphia.

"We’re doing everything we can right now. ... Most of the time, it’s not easy. And a lot of times, you’re just doing everything you possibly can to compete, going up against these tough teams and doing everything we can to get wins," Bell said. "That’s usually the way it goes -- when teams are relentless like that, they end up on top. That’s our goal right now."