Back-to-back losses thanks to walk-off home runs are no doubt painful moments to absorb for the Reds. But it would be reaching for low-hanging fruit to simply blame the pitchers who allowed them or credit the hitters who cleared the fences.
Monday’s 2-1 loss to the Padres, which came on pinch-hitter Chris Denorfia’s titanic two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth against Aroldis Chapman, was a culmination of what happens when offensive production has all but ground to a halt.
“That’s going to happen when you keep them in the game,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said.
Chapman, called for the first time since Thursday to protect a 1-0 lead, walked first batter Yonder Alonso. Next came Denorfia, who sent a first pitch 98-mph fastball an estimated 423 feet over the center-field fence for the game-ender. Chapman’s career-high fifth home run allowed gave him his fourth blown save in 28 attempts.
“They hit a home run, and there’s nothing I can do,” Chapman said through translator Tomas Vera. “It was a fastball like I throw to everybody. I just threw a fastball and he hit a home run.”
An 11-game West Coast road trip that began with such promise, at 4-1, now has the Reds simply trying to hang on after four straight losses. Cincinnati, which scored 36 runs over the first five games, has scored only three runs over its last 38 innings. The Reds were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, while stranding 10 men, and are 1-for-23 in those situations over the last four games.
While the Reds were silenced by the likes of Dodgers lefties Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu on Friday and Saturday, they were facing a less-accomplished right-hander in Sean O’Sullivan on Monday. O’Sullivan entered with 0-2 record and 4.73 ERA.
“Sometimes you’ve got to fight through these bad periods,” Baker said. “There will be times things don’t go right. You’ve got to keep battling and keep battling. Things will turn around for us.”
On Sunday, a strong seven-inning, 11-strikeout performance by Tony Cingrani was rendered moot in a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers in 11 innings. The game’s only run came on Yasiel Puig’s walk-off homer and silly slide into home plate.
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