INSTANT REACTION: Bullpen Blows Five-Run Lead, Reds Fall to Cubs 11-8

CINCINNATI -- This one hurts.

Staked with an 8-3 lead through five innings, the Reds bullpen melted down again in an 11-8 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Another opportunity to get to .500 was blown, and the Reds also lost the series 2-1 to the Cubs.

This win could have been vital to momentum for the Reds as they head into the end of May and Memorial Day Weekend.

Instead, it's more of the same.

Here are some takeaways from Sunday's 11-8 loss.

Takeaways from Sunday's 11-8 loss to the Cubs

Metldown of Epic Proportions from the Reds Bullpen

The Reds entered the sixth inning with an 8-3 lead, which should be more than enough for the bullpen to protect over the final four innings. At least, one would think it would be enough.

What followed for the Reds bullpen on Sunday afternoon was, perhaps, their most disastrous outing of the season. The Cubs scored eight unanswered runs across the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Scott Barlow, Graham Ashcraft, Taylor Rogers and Luis Mey not only let the Reds five-run lead dissipate, but they let the Cubs emphatically surge ahead in the eighth with two home runs.

In the top of the seventh inning alone, Ashcraft got the first two outs with the Reds up 8-4. The next four batters produced three runs for the Cubs. That simply cannot happen. The third out has to be recorded there without a run being allowed.

As soon Nico Hoerner drove in two runs on a double to left center field, you could sense the tide was clearly turning. Just like Friday night, the Reds bullpen could not hold a substantial lead on Sunday afternoon.

It's one thing to not be able to hold a one-run lead. But not being able to hold four- and five-run leads twice in three games is unfathomable and unacceptable. Fans are frustrated, and they should be.

Nick Lodolo Gets Roughed Up

Even though the Reds left-hander got through five innings and was in line for the win, he didn't have his best stuff on Sunday afternoon. Lodolo got tagged for two runs in the top of the first, and he gave up another run in the top of the second.

That run in the second was a two-out, two-strike home run to the No. 9 hitter in the Cubs lineup, Reese McGuire. That's a situation where you have to finish the inning unscathed. Even Reds Radio Network announcer Tommy Thrall said McGuire, a left-handed hitter, looked like he had no chance against Lodolo. Announcer jinx aside, that's another reason Lodolo had to get through that inning without allowing a run.

Lodolo finished with six strikeouts against six hits on Sunday, but only 57 of his 91 pitches were for strikes.

Long-spanning Trend Continues

The Reds have lost consecutive series dating back to 2023 when they lost the first game of the series.

To me, that just shows a complete lack of resilience. That's frustarting because, I remember, in Elly De La Cruz's second game when Jeff Brantley said that you could sense a complete shift of attitude in the Reds dugout. It led to a 12-game winning streak that month in June of 2023.

This team has to become more resilient and find ways to win when their "formula" isn't working. That's what good teams do.

Notes and observations

Cincinnati went 6-17 with runners in scoring position.
Chicago went 4-12 with runners in scoring position.
Austin Hays 2-4 with three RBIs for the Reds.
Matt McLain, TJ Friedl, and Elly De La Cruz all had two hits for the Reds.

On Deck

The Reds will now head to the Central Time Zone for a six-game road trip at the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago Cubs.

Cincinnati will be in Kansas City on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday's game gets underway at 4:10 while Tuesday's and Wednesday's games will get underway at 7:40. Nick Martinez, former Royal Brady Singer and Hunter Greene will be on the mound for the Reds in the series.

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