Reds Looking for Any Sign of Hope as West Coast Trip Set to Begin vs. Padres

Can the Cincinnati Reds save the season during their trip to the West to take on the San Diego Padres?

Jun 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (37) celebrates with third base coach Willie Harris (99) after hitting a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Summing up the past week of Cincinnati Reds baseball may truly be an impossible task. What does the guy sing in the Grinch song? Stink, stank, stunk. Yeah, that sums up the past week of Reds baseball.

A series loss to the lowly Kansas City Royals was the appetizer, then the cherry on top of the raccoon -infested garbage of a week was the St. Louis Cardinals bringing out the brooms on Sunday. The sweep against the Cardinals moved the Reds to 2-13 on the year against National League Central opponents.

Moving on, the Reds now shift their focus to a West Coast trip where they will start a three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Monday night. It's going to be a late week, so let's break down the series that will hopefully turn this season around.

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Jun 2, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott (41) throws against the Kansas City Royals at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

If you're one of the brave souls who is still looking on the bright side of things, the Reds' rotation coming into the Padres series could lead them to their first series win since the road trip against the New York Mets.

On Monday, the Reds will be sending out Andrew Abbott while the Padres have Walker Buehler on the mound. Buehler is a Lexington, Ky native, and there's a good chance he has some extra gas humming to home plate in this one.

Game two will feature Chase Burns against Lucas Giolito. Giolito is 2-1 on the season with a 4.86 ERA. Reds, if you're reading this, this is the game where you must take care of business.

The final game of the series will see Brady Singer taking on 4-5 Padres starter Michael King. See what I mean about securing those first two games of the series?

Opportunity Is Here

Jun 6, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) hits an RBI single during the third inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

Outside of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ty France, the Padres' lineup has been starving to find production. A story Reds fans know all too well. This is a very winnable series for the Reds. Unfortunately, we know that it is never easy for the good guys.

Late, Late Nights

Jun 6, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Freddy Fermin (54) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

Your best friend to get this week started will be caffeine. Monday and Tuesday's matchup with the Padres will not start until 9:40 pm ET. I'm just going to say it, if you are staying up to watch this team this week, then ownership should offer you discounts on tickets when they're back in town. They're probably going to be hard to sell anyway.