Cincinnati's Unraveling Has Them Below .500, and Rhett Lowder's Comeback Is a Major Gamble

Alright, buckle up, baseball fans, because what’s happening in Cincinnati right now is a total gut-punch if you’re rooting for the Reds. They're circling the drain, looking for anything to turn things around, and their big hope on Sunday afternoon? A young pitcher, Rhett Lowder, returning from injury. But let me tell you, this comeback could easily go sideways because the Cards are absolutely on fire, and the Reds are just a mess. They are desperate to salvage the finale of a three-game series against the host St. Louis Cardinals, and the stakes are real.

The Reds Are Crashing Hard

Man, you hate to see it. The Reds are reeling, I mean truly spiraling. They held leads of 3-0 on Friday and 5-3 on Saturday, only to blow both games. Poof, gone! That drops them to a woeful 2-12 against their National League Central rivals this season. Think about that for a second: two wins, twelve losses. That's rough, buddy. After opening the season with a solid 20-11 record, they’ve gone a dismal 11-21 since then. Saturday’s loss pushed them below .500 for the first time since Opening Day, when they lost to the Boston Red Sox. Talk about an inflection point. To add insult to injury, their pitching coach, Derek Johnson, is gone on indefinite leave for personal reasons, with assistant Matt Tracy stepping in. It’s a full-blown crisis, and everyone in that clubhouse knows it. As Spencer Steer said, "It's about execution and bouncing back. We have the talent in this clubhouse to score runs against anyone."

Lowder's Return: A Flimsy Lifeline?

So, here’s the "good" news: Rhett Lowder, their 24-year-old right-hander, is back in the rotation after missing a month with weakness in his right shoulder. He’s got a 3-3 record with a 5.40 ERA. He hasn't pitched since May 7, when he came out of a game against the Chicago Cubs. But here’s the kicker, and this is where it gets dicey: in his two starts before hitting the 15-day injured list, Lowder got absolutely shelled. Pittsburgh and Chicago roughed him up for 11 runs and eight walks in just 4 1/3 innings. Not exactly a confidence booster, right? Lowder mentioned, "We kind of got the problem and narrowed it down pretty early, so it was just hyper-specific work to do strengthening some areas. It's going to be continuing to stay on that and make sure it doesn't happen again." He did get his first major league win in his lone career appearance against the Cardinals back in 2024, so there’s that tiny glimmer, I guess.

Cardinals Are Piling On the Pain

While the Reds are flailing, the St. Louis Cardinals are absolutely cruising. They’re riding a three-game winning streak and looking to complete the sweep. Their offense is just brutal. They hammered out 10 runs in the series opener on Friday, leaning on the power of Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson to pick apart Cincinnati's pitching staff. The Cardinals have put up 30 runs in their four matchups with the Reds this season, winning three of those first four encounters. Walker even hit his 16th homer Saturday, his third this season against the Reds. Manager Oliver Marmol isn't holding back, saying, "We are putting together quality at-bats when it matters most. Alec and Jordan are doing a phenomenal job of driving the ball, and we took advantage of some key opportunities. Against a team like Cincinnati, you have to capitalize on mistakes, and we did that." Their counter for Sunday is right-hander Michael McGreevy, who has been lights-out against the Reds in two career starts, going 2-0 with a microscopic 0.69 ERA in his 13 starts this season. Cincinnati needs a victory on Sunday to avoid a series sweep, and they’re really hoping Lowder can deliver something special against McGreevy and this red-hot Cardinals lineup. Steer believes they can score, but they'll need to "stick to our approach, get guys on base, and play clean baseball." It's going to be a battle, that's for sure.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.