The Cincinnati Reds are back to .500.
There were times in 2025 when that statement signaled success. It was a marker of progress that pointed to a team that seemed to be on the precipice of making a formidable charge into contention. The Reds will still be contending on Aug. 31, but after the club fell back to .500 from its high-water mark of 67-60 on Aug. 19, returning to the .500 mark on Aug. 30 was nothing to be pleased with.
Advertisement
Reds injury updates Tyler Stephenson Here’s where Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is in his recovery from thumb injury
Cincinnati dropped to 1-8 in its last nine games on Aug. 30 by virtue of its fifth straight loss, this one a 4-2 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park.
Starting pitcher Andrew Abbott, third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes shortstop Elly De La Cruz converge on the ball in the first inning of the Reds’ 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals Aug. 30. The Reds ended up with an inning-ending double play after the infield fly rule was called after the pop-up was hit.
A 431-foot Wilson Contreras home run in the seventh inning proved to be the deciding run. That put St. Louis ahead, 3-1. The Cardinals then withstood Matt McLain’s solo home run to left field in the bottom of the frame to make the score, 3-2.
St. Louis also came back in the top of the eighth with a solo home run by catcher Pedro Pages for 4-2.
Advertisement
Cincinnati started its at-bat in the ninth with singles by Spencer Steer and Ke’Bryan Hayes, but that was followed by three routine ground-outs to end the contest.
“It’s tough sledding right now,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “We’ve got to fight through it.”
Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott gritted through five innings, allowing just two runs and three hits. He walked four against seven strikeouts.
“Overall, that was a terrible outing,” Abbott said. “No execution whatsoever. I was fighting tempo all day. The only thing I did well was hold them to two that inning (in the fourth), but you’ve got to be better than that down the stretch, especially when you have a lot on the line. We’re trying to catch a team (the Mets) that’s in front of us that lost tonight. There’s a lot riding on that and gaining a game. Just got to be better at the end of the day.”
Advertisement
Connor Phillips allowed Contreras’ blast while Zach Maxwell conceded the Pages home run, which barely cleared the wall in left center. Francona said Phillips and Maxwell both had good innings, but both also hung breaking balls that were punished by the Cardinals. Both home runs were with two outs.
The Reds will attempt to salvage one game from its series loss to St. Louis. On Aug. 31, Brady Singer (11-9, 4.06 ERA) is scheduled to start against Cardinals right-hander Andrew Pallanta (6-12, 5.44 ERA) in the series finale at Great American Ball Park (12:10 p.m.).
Andrew Abbott battled all night Aug. 30, finishing five innings, allowing two runs on three hits and an uncharacteristic four bases on balls. He struck out seven.
With one day left in August, the Reds are undoubtedly slumping, and attempting to right themselves in time to remain in the playoff race.
Advertisement
Their 1-8 run is by far Cincinnati’s worst slide of a 2025 season that saw the club keep itself in a competitive position through modest winning streaks as well as short slumps. The Reds weren’t swept out of a series until the Aug. 25-27 series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A loss Aug. 31 by Cincinnati would mean six consecutive defeats, two sweeps in a row and a losing record to begin September.
The recipe that included not slumping too low put the Reds within a solid run of being in a playoff position. That felt even more true in mid-August as the Mets slumped and backed up toward Cincinnati in the standings, with the Reds once only one-half game out of a playoff position.
At one point in August, the Reds controlled their own playoff destiny in the head-to-head with the Mets, who have occupied the No. 3 wild card spot in the NL for weeks.
Advertisement
Now, the Mets have a larger lead and teams like the Cardinals (68-69) are creeping up on the Reds from behind. St. Louis could overtake Cincinnati as New York’s closest pursuer with a win Aug. 31.
Cincinnati trailed New York by five games after both teams lost Aug. 30. The two teams meet for three games at Great American Ball Park Sept. 5-7.
“We’re battling,” Abbott said. “I still think we’re one pitch, one hit, one defensive play away from really taking off. We haven’t had those breaks yet. We haven’t had that opportunity yet but we can’t sit here and dwell on playing bad.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds’ slide continues, club drops back to .500 in loss to St. Louis