Cincinnati Reds in middle of historically bad season
Phil Castellini, Cincinnati Reds president and chief operating officer, guides a tour of the changes at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Monday, March 29, 2021. The Reds introduced a number of new amenities, concessions and COVID-19 related regulations for the 2021 season. Sam Greene/The Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Cincinnati Reds president Phil Castellini may have tempted fate with his controversial comments prior to the season.
Prior to the season, Castellini responded to fan concerns about the team’s offseason trades. His defense for the team’s moves was that fans had nowhere to go and were basically stuck with the team.
Well, the Reds seem to be doing their hardest to turn fans away.
The Reds have lost 9 in a row and are 3-22. They have a .120 winning percentage, which puts them in line for the worst record ever.
The 1899 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134 (.130 winning percentage).
If the Reds keep losing at this rate, they would finish with a 19-143 record.
As bad as the Reds are, nobody expects them to win fewer than 20 games. Even the worst teams in the league typically win 50-something games. Cincinnati has scored 79 runs this season, which is tied for third-worst in the league. The team’s huge weakness is with pitching and defense. They have allowed 166 runs, which is 22 more than the second-worst team in the league.
How bad is it for the current Reds rotation? If their starters pitched 35 straight scoreless innings the Reds would still have the worst rotation ERA ever. BTW, this is in a yr in which run scoring is the 2nd lowest in 40 years and BAA is the lowest ever (by 4 points)
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) May 6, 2022
The Reds need to start limiting other teams more than they are in order to win some games.
The Reds’ bad start is wearing on players and likely fans too. They might need to be trade deadline buyers just to avoid being this bad. It’s a horrible look for everyone involved to have a team this terrible.
