Bullpen lets game get out of hand
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tim Adleman went five innings Wednesday, which seemed like a long outing by the standards set through the first 71 games of the Cincinnati Reds’ season.
Adleman has been one of the team’s most consistent pitchers, averaging 5 innings per start, something that would nearly qualify him as an ironman among his peers with the Reds.
That five wasn’t enough Wednesday, as the usually reliable bullpen allowed five runs over three innings in an 8-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.
In the last turn of the rotation, only Scott Feldman’s six-plus inning start in Monday’s victory was longer than Adleman’s performance on Wednesday. That’s not a recipe for success, as the Reds have lost all of those games.
Adleman (4-4) needed 95 pitches to get through Wednesday’s start, allowing three runs on seven hits and four walks. He struck out seven, but wasn’t as sharp as he has been for much of the season.
“It's really important, that's what winning teams do,” Adleman said of going deep in the game. “Today, I didn't do that. One thing to take away from it is I didn't really have great stuff today, I had a couple of bad breaks and the team still had a chance to win when I came out.”
The Reds trailed 3-2 when Adleman turned it over to his bullpen.
Rookies Austin Brice and Wandy Peralta had two of their worst outings of the season. Both gave up two runs on three hits and retired just one batter in the sixth.
Right-hander Drew Storen also gave up a run, allowing a solo home run in the seventh inning. Only rookie Ariel Hernandez, making just his third big-league appearance, went through the game unscathed.
“Nobody is getting a lot of regular rest,” manager Bryan Price said. “I don’t know if it’s critical at this point but I would certainly like to see a lot more six- or seven-inning outings.”
Scott Schebler hit his 20th homer of the season for the Reds, a solo shot in the fifth that cut the Rays' lead to 3-1.