Reds blow lead in loss to Mets, own team's worst record through 81 games since 1934

The box score showed the tightrope Graham Ashcraft walked during his start against the National League East-leading New York Mets.

Ashcraft surrendered a career-high 10 hits on Wednesday and struck out only one batter. He tossed 105 pitches, just the second time he’s crossed the 100-pitch barrier this season.

Only one of his six innings required fewer than 17 pitches. He didn’t throw many first-pitch strikes. It felt like Ashcraft’s back was against the wall and, somehow, he kept finding ways to survive. Ashcraft allowed two runs in the Reds’ 8-3 loss in 10 innings at Great American Ball Park, and he stranded eight runners.

The Reds’ bullpen, however, couldn’t walk that same tightrope. Reds closer Hunter Strickland blew a save in the ninth inning and Dauri Moreta allowed five runs in the 10th inning. Moreta didn't hide his frustration, throwing his glove against the dugout wall at the end of the inning.

"It wasn’t a situation where our pitchers were running away from them or walking guys or scared of the situation," Reds Manager David Bell said. "They were attacking. You’re going to lose sometimes. That’s what happened. They beat us."

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The Reds own a 28-53 record, the franchise’s fewest wins through the first 81 games of a season since 1934 (26-54-1). They had a 29-52 record in 2016, which was the previous low over the last 88 years.

Ashcraft, armed with a 100-mph cutter, kept finding ways to induce weak contact when he was in jams. He stranded runners on the corners in the first inning with a groundout. A double play ended the third inning. He yelled, “Let’s go!” when he retired his final batter in the sixth inning on a groundout.

"It just speaks to how hard it is to square the ball up off of him," Bell said.

Ashcraft didn't have command of his slider and he struggled with locating pitches in the first few innings of his start. It wasn’t always pretty, or as dominant as he’s shown at times this year, but he gave the Reds every chance to earn a win.

"I just had to make do with what I could," he said.

The downside to giving up a lot of contact is there will be tough luck moments. Ashcraft gave up an RBI single to Jeff McNeil in the first inning, three pitches after second baseman Matt Reynolds misplayed a hard-hit ground ball that bounced directly at him.

Pitching with a two-run lead in the fourth inning, Ashcraft yielded a broken-bat RBI single to Tomás Nido, the No. 9 batter in the Mets’ lineup.

There will be a time when Ashcraft strikes out more hitters. He did that plenty throughout his minor league career. For now, he’s content if he’s inducing weaker contact.

"You go and look at it, I’m more of a groundball pitcher," Ashcraft said. "Even with my stuff now, I’m not going out there trying to strike out 10 guys a game. Would it be awesome? Yeah. But I’d rather go out there and get quick outs and throw 15 pitches or less."

The Reds were outhit by the Mets, 16-5, and it caught up to them in the final innings. It was a game where they were without Jonathan India and Joey Votto (back tightness). India was hit by a pitch on his left ankle in the first inning. He remained in the game to run the bases, advancing to third, but he did not return for his second at-bat. X-rays were negative for a broken bone.

"It was pretty swollen," India said. "Just my luck, right, with this season?"

When the Reds were searching for offense, it was Nick Senzel who stepped up. Senzel put the Reds ahead with a two-run homer in the second inning, pulling a first-pitch fastball down the left-field line.

It was Senzel’s second homer in three days. He totaled one homer in 181 at-bats before facing the Mets this week. After a slow start to the season offensively, Senzel ended Wednesday with a .306 batting average and a .361 on-base percentage in his last 30 games with 18 runs scored.

It wasn’t a perfect game for Senzel. Mets starter David Peterson walked Senzel and Albert Almora Jr. to begin the fourth inning, and the Reds looked to bunt with Michael Papierski, the No. 9 hitter, at the plate. Papierski pulled back his bunt attempt on the first pitch and Senzel was picked off second base by Mets catcher Tomás Nido. The Reds didn’t score in the inning.

"It’s not a good play, he knows that," Bell said of the pickoff. "You have to learn from it. You can talk about it, show video on it but sometimes when it happens, that will stay with you the rest of your career. That’s all he can take from that."

In the sixth inning, Senzel lined a ball into left field and was thrown out at second base trying to stretch a single into a double. That was the only hit the Reds accumulated in 6 1/3 innings against the Mets' bullpen.

"The way Nick runs, you have to be thinking double all the way there and if you don’t try, you’ll never know," Bell said. "It was that close. We support that type of baserunning.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds baseball: loss to Mets, worst record since 1934