By Hal McCoy
Pass the smelling salts. The Cincinnati Reds are comatose.
I decide to take a little vacation on Saint Simons Island in Georgia, just a little rest and relaxation.
Some R&R. And the Cincinnati Reds decided to do it, too — their version of R&R — rotten & revolting baseball on a seven-game road trip..
I left the Reds in the good hands of manager Tito Francona, first place in the highly competitive National League Central.
What happens?
Suddenly, the Reds are teetering on a tightrope, peering into the abyss.
After starting the season 10-2 on the road, the Reds road uniforms are like straight jackets.
They could do no wrong in April. They can do nothing right in May.
The carnage;
Pittsburgh losses: 9-1. 17-7, 1-0.
Chicago Cubs losses: 5-4 (9th-inning walkoff), 3-2 (10th-inning walkoff), 7-6 (10th-inning walkoff and a more traditional mugging, 8-3.
Three straight one-run walk-off losses in Chicago? Unfathomable.
It looks just as bad from Saint Simons Island as it would have looked from The Man Cave.
Maybe worse. Much worse.
After the Pittsburgh Pirates laid an ostrich-sized egg by losing four straight games at home against the St. Louis Cardinals, they swept the Reds.
And so the Reds sneaked out of Pittsburgh two games behind the Chicago Cubs and possible salvation was dead ahead.
Four games dead ahead in Wrigley Field against the Cubs. And dead might be the apropos word if the Reds don’t awaken from their sleep walk and awaken quickly.
They didn’t.
Leading the Cubs, 4-3, in the ninth inning of Game One, closer Emilio Pagan gave up a leadoff triple to Pete Crow-Armstrong, a game-tying sacrifice fly and a walk-off home run by pinch-hitter Mike Conforto.
It was Cincinnati’s second one-run loss of the season after starting 7-0 and now they are 7-4.
They did it again and and again and again.
A first-pitch walk-off single in the 10th by Michael Busch against Sam Moll in Game Two. Another one-run loss.
A 10th-inning walk-off walk by Brock Burke in Game Three after manager Tito Francona ordered a strange move.
With runners on third and second with two outs, he ordered an intentional walk to load the bases. With the pitching staff’s recent penchant for walks, why would he do this?
And the ineviable happened. Burke issued a five-pitch walk, a walk-off walk.
And this happened after the Reds trailed, 4-2, in the ninth and scored four runs to take a 6-4 lead.
Alas, Graham Ashcraft gave up a two-run home run to tie it, 6-6.
So in seven games the Reds slithered from first place to a tie with Pittsburgh for last place, six games out of first place.
To add to the utter insult, Cincinnati pitching is falling like dead trees in a forest.
Closer Emilio Pagan collapsed in Game Three in Wrigledy Field with a hamstring pull that will have him sidelined for a a while.
Starter Rhett Lowder departed Game Four with shoulder tightness. Expect a trip to the injured list to join Hunter Greene and Brandon Williamson.
Nick Lodolo, he of the blister problems, comes off the injured list Friday night in Great American Ball Park against the Houston Astros.