If you are a member of this community, chances are very good that you have invested a substantial portion of your life following the Cincinnati Reds. The folks here are people who I would definitely call die-hards.
The Cincinnati Reds' bats continued their early-season slumber tonight, as the team recorded only six hits against a replacement Chicago Cubs starter and a bullpen that prior to tonight has been consistently raked over the coals. The 8-5 loss to Chicago dropped the Reds to 1-4 in a 60-game season in which avoiding a bad start was seen as critical to any team's hopes of success.
In a season in which we did not expect rookies to be key figures for the Cincinnati Reds, they were the bright spots on this evening. Catcher Tyler Stephenson and righthander Tejay Antone both made their major league debuts in notable fashions. Unfortunately, that happened because the Reds got behind very early, 6-0, after two innings, as the Chicago Cubs rode that early margin to an eventual 8-7 win. The loss dropped Cincinnati to a 1-3 record in their first four games.
Cincinnati Reds' Eugenio Suárez hopes to add to his single season MLB record for home runs by a third baseman (currently at 49) versus the Pirates tonight.