Fans’ anger at Reds’ bench players is sorely misguided and here’s why

Reds fans need to stop blaming the bench players for the team’s struggles.

Cincinnati Reds infielder Nick Martini / Ron Jenkins/GettyImages

It’s a bad day for the Cincinnati Reds. During their six-game road tour, the squad managed two victories, but in their two games back at home after returning, they have failed miserably. Even worse, Cincinnati’s starting rotation has been able to keep the Reds in games lately.

Graham Ashcraft, Hunter Greene, and Andrew Abbott have combined to give up four runs in 16.2 innings of work over the last three games. And although the Reds’ bullpen has struggled a few times in the latter stages of games, their hitters have been remarkably silent, leaving very little room for error.

The team needs a scapegoat or two after their four-game losing streak, and while manager David Bell is a favorite, the Cincinnati fan base has taken a particular dislike to players like Nick Martini, Stuart Fairchild, and Santiago Espinal.

Nick Martini, Stuart Fairchild, and Santiago Espinal are not the Reds’ biggest problem

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There’s no doubting that all of those players have been having difficulties lately. Those three players are a combined 4-for-43 (.093) over the last seven days. Ouch! Bubba Thompson, a fellow bench player, has played in three games this past week, but he hasn’t even managed an at-bat, let alone a base hit.

Thus, despite the widespread perception that these three players aren’t doing their share of the work, the Reds actually have more of an issue. Bell’s most dependable batters have performed just as poorly. Will Benson, Jonathan India, and Spencer Steer have a collective batting average of 14-for-63 (.222) with a 28.5% strikeout percentage.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Jake Fraley, and Tyler Stephenson have also been struggling lately, but they have also been in and out of the lineup for the past week. Fraley has been dealing with a medical condition, and last Saturday against the Texas Rangers, both Stephenson and Encarnacion-Strand were hit by pitches. Despite this, during the last week, the three players have combined to hit.087.

Elly De La Cruz is the only Reds hitter pulling his weight

Cincinnati’s sluggers choose to go dormant at the same time that the Reds’ pitching staff has been playing at a high level for the past seven days.The Reds are now ranked 29th out of all major league clubs, sandwiched between the Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox, and last in the National League in terms of batting (.213).

The good news is that TJ Friedl, the team’s leadoff hitter, is currently recovering at Triple-A Louisville and should be back soon.Mike Ford, a former slugger for the Seattle Mariners, opted out of his contract earlier this week, so the Reds decided not to call him up.

The three players Martini, Fairchild, and Espinal leave a lot to be desired, but they are not the Reds’ main issue right now given their recent losing run. The squad needs a spark.