2015 Cincinnati Reds

2015 Cincinnati Reds / BR Team Page

Record: 64-98, Finished 5th in NL Central Division (2015 NL)

Managed by Bryan Price

Coaches: Jay Bell, Freddie Benavides, Billy Hatcher, Mack Jenkins, Don Long, Jeff Pico, Jim Riggleman, Mike Stefanski and Lee Tinsley

Ballpark: Great American Ball Park

History, Comments, Contributions

Expected to compete for a postseason berth, the 2015 Cincinnati Reds had a nine-game losing streak in May, the longest for the team since losing 11 straight in 1998. They had been playing .500 ball in the early going, but many commentators pointed out that they had been doing so with smoke and mirrors: lead-off hitter Billy Hamilton was having trouble reaching base, no one who had been tried in the clean-up spot had had any success, OF Jay Bruce was hitting below the Mendoza Line, and the bullpen - apart from closer Aroldis Chapman was a veritable disaster area. Only the superlative performance of 1B Joey Votto, who was again hitting home runs after an injury had sapped his power in 2014, was having a good year. The Reds' performance was clearly unsustainable, and the wheels fell off the cart in May. Manager Bryan Price was suddenly on the hot seat, and an ejection before the first pitch of the game against the Cleveland Indians on May 24th typified his problems.

Because of trades and injuries, the Reds ended the season with an all-rookie starting rotation. As a result they set a major league record for most consecutive games started by rookie pitchers in a season, with 64. Among rookies, Anthony DeSclafani led the way with 31 starts, followed by 21 by Michael Lorenzen, 12 by Keyvius Sampson and 10 by John Lamb.

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Aroldis Chapman and Todd Frazier

Further Reading

• Paul Daugherty: "Doc: Who do you blame for Reds' funk?", USA Today Sports, May 24, 2015. [1]
• John Fay: "Reds' Castellini frustrated, but says Price's job is safe", USA Today Sports, August 27, 2015. [2]

2015 MLB season by team