CINCINNATI -- The 14 runs the Reds scored on the Rangers during Monday's series-opening rout proved not to be the start of something good for the offense, but perhaps a blip that only teased and tantalized.
The past two games -- including Wednesday's series finale vs. Texas -- produced back-to-back 1-0 defeats for Cincinnati. On Wednesday, there were just three hits collected. Over both losses at Great American Ball Park, the Reds combined for seven hits, zero walks and 18 strikeouts.
¡°If I thought yelling at them would get us a bunch of hits, I would go do it right now," Reds manager Terry Francona said after his team went 2-4 in its first two losing series. "Yesterday is in the rearview mirror. Talking about today, we didn¡¯t do much. They really pitched. We didn¡¯t have a lot of opportunities.
"It¡¯s a hard way to win. I will say our pitching has been so good, at least we¡¯ve had a chance. When you¡¯re not scoring, that puts a strain on those guys."
The last time a Major League team lost back-to-back games by a 1-0 score was the Reds in 2023. It happened on July 9 and 14 vs. the Brewers on each side of the All-Star break that year.
According to Elias, losing 1-0 twice in a row at home hasn't happened to the Reds since June 2-3, 1907, vs. the Cardinals, at the Palace of the Fans.
Cincinnati's lineup was already tested with Tyler Stephenson and Austin Hays opening the season on the injured list. Despite a problematic right shoulder giving him limited Spring Training reps, Spencer Steer was held off the IL to keep the club from being more shorthanded.
However, Steer is 1-for-15 (.067) this season and others have also struggled. Even after a single on Wednesday, Jake Fraley is 2-for-18 (.111), Jose Trevino is 2-for-11 (.182) and Gavin Lux is 4-for-19 (.211). Since notching two hits and three RBIs on Opening Day, Jeimer Candelario is 2-for-his-last-18 with seven strikeouts.
¡°We¡¯re only six games into this. We¡¯ve got 156 more," Lux said. "[It's] just knowing over the course of the year there¡¯s going to be ebbs and flows where you don¡¯t get hits and you¡¯ve just got to try to kind of grind it out and try to work as good of at-bats as you can."
One positive to take from the first two series is how well the rotation has pitched with a 2.43 ERA and four quality starts. Hunter Greene was strong during his second start, with one earned run and three hits allowed over seven innings and 94 pitches. Greene walked one and struck out eight, including his 500th career strikeout.
After Joc Pederson notched a grounder that Candelario couldn't barehand when shifted away from third base, Josh Smith hit a two-out RBI double to left-center field in the fourth.
Greene didn't feel added pressure knowing his team's lineup hasn't been clicking.
¡°We¡¯re not thinking about that," Greene said. "It¡¯s not a good mindset to be in over the course of a game. We¡¯ve just got to go out there and stay present and make our pitches. I don¡¯t think any of us are thinking that we¡¯ve got to go out there and be perfect.¡±
Greene noted that, like in his Opening Day start against the Giants, he still doesn't have great confidence in his secondary pitches. He relied most on his fastball, which he threw 59 times -- with 32 tracking at 100 mph or faster.
"I¡¯m still having to figure out a way to get guys out and still pitch, which is exciting for me knowing that my stuff isn¡¯t even fully there yet and I¡¯m still able to have some pretty good results," Greene said.
For the third time in the past four games, the Reds' opposing starter was perfect at least the first time through the order. Against Jack Leiter after the right-hander retired his first 11 batters, Elly De La Cruz hit a two-out double in the fourth inning. The Reds didn't get their next hit until Fraley with two outs in the eighth.
Fraley broke early trying to steal second, but reliever Chris Martin saw it coming and threw to second base to nail him for the third out.
¡°Yeah, we mistimed it," Francona said.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, TJ Friedl hit a single to right field against Rangers reliever Luke Jackson, but the Reds came up empty.
"Even today, we only had [three] hits, and we were one hit away from tying the game and winning the game," Lux said. "We just didn¡¯t get it. I didn¡¯t get it. I think that will change as the season goes on.¡±