MILWAUKEE — The Cincinnati Reds are experiencing a peculiar moment in their season by losing three consecutive games with a final score of 1-0, a rare occurrence last documented 65 years ago.
The last MLB team to endure such consecutive 1-0 losses was the Philadelphia Phillies in 1960. This unfortunate streak has only been recorded six times in the history of Major League Baseball, with the majority of these instances happening prior to the 1920s.
Notably, no team in MLB history has ever suffered four straight 1-0 losses.
The teams previously sharing this fate include the Brooklyn Superbas in 1908, St. Louis Browns, and Washington Senators in 1909, and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1917.
According to Reds manager Terry Francona, the team remains determined to overcome the current challenge.
“Nobody’s happy with what’s happened the last three games,” Francona commented after the third 1-0 loss in a series against Milwaukee.
“We’ll figure it out together. I feel strongly about that.”
The Reds had displayed their offensive potential earlier with a decisive 14-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday, but scoring has since stalled.
Texas’ Nathan Eovaldi bested the Reds’ Carson Spiers in a game on Tuesday, while on Wednesday, Jack Leiter and four relievers combined efforts for the Rangers, leaving the Reds to waste a stellar performance from Hunter Greene.
Thursday’s game saw Nick Lodolo allowing just four hits and one unearned run across 6 2/3 innings, yet it wasn’t enough to secure a win as Cincinnati could only manage two hits.
“It’s part of the game, you know?” Lodolo reflected.
“I’ll be honest with you. Obviously, I want us to score, but I’m not really thinking about it. I’ve got to do my job at the end of the day, regardless. We’ll turn it around. I guarantee that.”
This conviction aligns with Francona’s vision as he encourages both pitchers and hitters to contribute jointly to the team’s recovery from the current slump.
“We’re not going to have a situation where it’s ‘us’ when we win and it’s ‘they’ when we lose,” Francona emphasized.
“We’ll do this together.”
There isn’t a single explanation for the team’s struggles. The Reds have faced various pitching styles during each of the 1-0 losses.
Eovaldi, a seasoned right-hander, gave up four hits with no walks, while Leiter is a fast-throwing rookie. Meanwhile, seasoned left-hander Cortes, lacking the speed of the others, utilized a mix of cutter, changeup, and fastball effectively.
Facing Cortes, who had a rough outing in his previous game—a 20-9 defeat by the New York Yankees—the Reds were unable to capitalize.
“It was embarrassing, what happened to me last time,” admitted Cortes.
“I think, as a starter, you’ve got 30 or 32 of these. There’s going to be a lot of bad ones throughout the way. You’ve just got to learn how to brush them off and go to the next one. That’s what I did.”
The Reds managed only two hits against Cortes on Thursday—one from a Jose Trevino double and a Jeimer Candelario single against Elvis Peguero.
During this three-game skid, Cincinnati players tallied just nine hits, three walks, and 27 strikeouts collectively.
“To be totally honest, you see this all the time throughout a baseball season,” Trevino remarked.
“Pitchers will pick up the hitters and the hitters will pick up the pitchers. It will all switch at some point. We’re going to need them. They’re going to need us. And at some point, we’re all going to be together. That’s just how the baseball season goes.
“Right now, our pitchers are doing really well and our hitters, we’re grinding. It’s not like we’re out there trying to give outs away. We’re out there putting some good at-bats together. We’re going to turn this thing around. I have full confidence in this team.”
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