In the grand scheme of things, Sunday afternoon’s 4-2 loss to the Pirates didn’t mean much for the Reds. Their playoff fate already decided, the final game of the regular season was mostly about staying healthy and giving some of the lesser used players a chance to compete.
But this was far from the ideal way to enter the postseason.
With the loss, the Reds were swept at Great American Ball Park by the Pirates, whom they’ll face in Tuesday night’s National League Wild Card Game at PNC Park, and closed out the season dropping five straight. That matched a season high and marked Cincinnati’s longest home losing streak of the year.
Fortunately for the Reds, there’s still baseball to be played.
“You’ve got to block it out,” manager Dusty Baker said of the rough finish. “It’s a situation where it’s a new season. What you did previously, it doesn’t matter. What you didn’t do previously doesn’t matter. Now you start the season all over.”
The final week of the season was lowlighted by Cincinnati’s offensive woes, which continued Sunday. Although the regulars played just enough to get two at-bats, the Reds notched just four hits and barely threatened in the first seven innings. In the five straight losses, Cincinnati scored a total of eight runs, three of which came in Saturday’s loss that gave the Pirates home-field advantage in the Wild Card Game.
Both of Cincinnati’s runs Sunday came with the team trailing, 4-0, in the eighth, which Derrick Robinson led off with a pinch-hit single. Cesar Izturis followed with a ground-rule double — his second hit of the game — before pinch-hitter Corky Miller drove both in with a double of his own to make it 4-2.
With just one out and runners on the corners, the Reds had a chance to tie the game or take the lead, but Neftali Soto grounded into an inning-ending double play. After Chris Heisey led off the ninth with a single, Jack Hannahan hit into another double play before Henry Rodriguez struck out to end the game.
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