The Reds got swept again, and are now 0-6 in the second half. The Reds have fallen to 5.5 games back in the NL Central.

The offensive woes continue. The Reds have scored just 12 runs in 6 games in the second half. They have struck out 51 times, while walking just 8 times (our own Chris Garber wrote about this earlier today). You simply aren’t going to win many games with that kind of offensive production.

Biggest Play of the Game

According to Fangraphs WPA statistic (wining percentage added), the most important play of the game was Carlos Gomez RBI triple in the 3rd inning, tying the game at 1. That play decreased the Reds chances of winning by 22.5% (from 58.9% to 36.4%). Other important plays (+/- equals how much each play increased or decreased the Reds chances of winning):

• +9.6% – Braun grounded into an inning ending double play in the 3rd inning
• +8.5% – Ramirez grounded into an inning ending double play in the 1st inning
• +8.4% – Lucroy grounded out in the 5th inning, runner left on 3rd base, 2 outs in the 5th inning
• +7.2% – Santiago walked in the 5th inning, runners on 1st & 2nd, 0 outs
• +6.4% – Ludwick reached on an error, advanced to second base with 0 outs in the 2nd inning
• -14.5% – Reynolds 2-run HR in the 6th inning, Brewers take a 4-1 lead
• -13.7% – Braun RBI single in the 3rd inning, giving the Brewers a 2-1 lead
• -7.5% – Pena grounded into a double play in the 8th inning

Player of the Game

Mark Reynolds: 3 for 4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .147 WPA

Positives

Billy Hamilton stole his 40th base of the season. That puts him third all-time among Reds rookies, and tied for 30th all-time among all players in Reds history. He is now on pace to steal 64 bases this season. If Hamilton were to steal 64 bases, it would put him 8th all time in Reds history, and tie him for 6th all-time among MLB rookies. Here are the numbers on Hamilton (you can click to expand)

Ramon Santiago made a tremendous play filling for Zack Cozart today in the second inning. He had to drive to right, get up, and make a perfect throw to get Kris Davis out.

J.J. Hoover pitched a perfect 7th inning for the Reds, striking out 1. That is good to see from Hoover, as he had allowed 6 ER over his previous three appearances.

Negatives

Mike Leake had a pretty rough afternoon. He gave up 11 hits in 6.0 innings. He has allowed 11, 8, 9, 9, and 11 hits in his last five starts. Leake didn’t walk a batter today, so at least he isn’t beating himself. Leake has still had a decent season, posting a 3.73 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 3.97 FIP. The recent hit totals against him do cause some concern though.

Jumbo Diaz gave up a homer to Mark Reynolds. It was Reynolds second homer of the afternoon.

Not so random thoughts………………

I get tired of complaining about the Reds manager, but seriously? He put Pena third in his lineup and Mesoraco sixth today. Even though a move like that doesn’t usually make a drastic impact on the game, it is just a poor decision. There is no excuse for batting a guy who has an OPS of 36 points higher than last year NL MVP sixth in your lineup, and batting a guy with a career 78 OPS+ third. The Reds have clearly struggled to score runs, and that move only makes it even more difficult.