The Reds’ unreal downfall within a matter of a few days needs to be researched. By April, they were topping the NL Central by a 20-11 record, but it came crashing down to their 25-24 record, placing them at the second last in the division. Offense faltered, rotation couldn’t click, and the bullpen blew up, contributing in such numbers.

However, the Reds manager, Terry Francona, is staying positive, trying to cheer up his 2025 hero to take up the challenge.

“I was telling TJ the other day, you’ve got to walk up to the plate with your chest out still. You’ve got to be strong enough mentally to look at the scoreboard and see your batting average and know that’s not what you are,” Francona has his message for TJ Friedl.

The Reds’ entire lineup is struggling, but Friedl is proving to be the worst. He is coming off a .261 average and a 14-homer season last year. So, the expectations were bigger this time.

But in reality, Friedl is slashing .178/.258/.260 with eight extra base hits and five stolen bases after 41 games. He also lost his leadoff spot in the lineup. Friedl’s expected batting average is .198, which is his career worst. His expected slugging, his xwOBA, and his hard hit percentage are also among the league’s worst. Till now, the Reds outfielder is 2 for 29 against offspeed pitches and just 5 for 29 against breaking balls.

From 2021 to the last year, his pull % was above 20%, which came down to 12.7% currently. The Reds are facing a left-handed pitcher on Tuesday, which led Francona to bench Friedl. Dane Myers is batting fifth and playing center.

And amid Friedl’s struggle, the entire offense is getting impacted. Currently, the Reds are ranked 27th in terms of average (.226) and 18th in terms of total runs scored (212). Apart from Blake Dunn, no one is hitting above .300.

With such a situation and the numbers of the entire lineup, Francona can’t do anything more other than put a mirror in front of Friedl and his teammates. Fortunately, the struggling slugger is taking it positively.

“He’s done a great job of just kind of being there for us,” Friedl said. “Having a Hall of Fame manager really helps, because he’s been through it all. He’s had good teams, and even good teams go through tough times. We know that you’re not going to go through a season where there’s not going to be some slumps. We know who we are, and every day is a new opportunity to go out there and show that.”

Friedl is currently signed to a 1-year, $3.8 million contract with the Reds, avoiding salary arbitration. So, he needs to put up some great figures this rental season to ensure his place. Francona is assured that Friedl could do that. The next few games would prove if his pep-talk hit the right place or not. But if Friedl gets back to his best, the Reds would still be left behind due to their pitching staff.

The Reds’ pitching staff looks much more concerning

Till 22nd April, the Reds’ bullpen had a Major League-best 2.54 bullpen ERA. Between April 11 and 22, they have allowed 10 runs over 37 2/3 innings (1.43 ERA) with no home runs allowed. Now contrast it with their recent loss against the Phillies.

Starter Nick Lodolo had a rough opening frame, allowing a double and walking Bryce Harper and Alex Bohm to load the bases, leading to multiple sacrifice flies before the second inning. Reliever Graham Ashcraft also took a loss after surrendering a decisive home run. The Reds lost the game 4-5. That’s how much the Reds’ pitching went down in one month, similar to their offense.

Currently, the Reds are ranked 25th in terms of ERA (4.74), which sums up their poor show at the mound.

“Every staff struggles at one point. Maybe not to this degree. The team message, the staff message, is that we have to be fearless in the zone. We have to get after it. That’s our job, to do that… There’s no easy answer. There’s no right answer necessarily. You start to uncover things you can lean on and hopefully get them squared away,” Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson said.

The Reds’ front office also sounds clueless about their pitching struggle. However, the Reds couldn’t get over depending only on Chase Burns’ 1.83 ERA on the mound. Baseball is a team team and Francona should make his roster follow that at the earliest.