Tuesday was the second of a 20-game stretch where the Reds play teams with above-.500 records 14 times. It also marked the return of Joey Votto from the disabled list and the first time the offense has been theoretically at full strength all season.
This would be as good a time as any for the Reds to start taking off. Instead, they dropped their second straight to the Dodgers with a 6-1 loss at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati, which has been outscored by a 12-3 margin in the last two games, has also lost five of its last seven games.
“It’s getting to that point where we need to do better than we’re doing,” Reds starting pitcher Mike Leake said. “Especially when you’re playing the top teams, if you’re going down without a fight against these types of teams, you’re putting yourself in a bad position for the remainder of the season. These are the teams where you find out who you really are.”
And, who are the Reds?
“I guess it’s yet to be determined,” Leake said.
After rain delayed first pitch for two hours, five minutes, Leake tied the season high he set in his previous start with five earned runs allowed, over 5 1/3 innings. He gave up nine hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Josh Beckett cruised with just two hits — both singles — allowed over six innings with a hit batter, a walk and seven strikeouts. Beckett retired his first eight batters until Leake notched the first hit with a two-out single in the third inning.
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