Cincinnati Reds Bullpen Struggles Are Much Worse Than Fans Realize

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tony Santillan (64) looks on from the dugout after the Washington Nationals won 8-7 after ten innings, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati. Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cincinnati Reds Bullpen Struggles Are Much Worse Than Fans Realize

Originally posted on Cincinnati Reds on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated May 19, 2026 10:02 AM ET

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The Cincinnati Reds opened the season with one of the best bullpens in the league. Their bullpen had one of the lowest ERAs in baseball through the first few weeks of the season, which helped guide the Reds to a lot of close victories. Their unit was led by players like Emilio Pagán, Tony Santillan, Graham Ashcraft, Brock Burke, and Connor Phillips, all of whom got off to electric starts to the season.

But somewhere along the way, the bullpen began to falter. They've always had walk issues, but these walk issues began to catch up to them. It seems that once Pagán went down with a serious hamstring issue, the entire bullpen fell apart.

Reds Bullpen Has Struggled

Over the last few weeks, the bullpen has been the death of the Reds. They've lost countless close games because of their bullpen. They're routinely walking in runners with the bases loaded, which is incredibly uncompetitive to do as often as the Reds do.

Santillan got off to a great start, but he now holds a negative WAR and a 5.50 ERA in 20 appearances. His fastball velocity is down, and he's giving up a lot of home runs. Phillips also has a negative WAR, as walks have crushed him. He has more walks than innings pitched right now.

Ashcraft, Burke, and Sam Moll each have double-digit walks this season, though their ERAs are still respectable. Before his injury, Pagán was struggling as much as anybody.

Reds Rank Dead Last In 9th Inning ERA

The Reds have a ninth-inning problem. They rank dead last in the league in ninth-inning ERA with a ninth-inning ERA of 7.65. That ranks them behind the Colorado Rockies, who play in the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field.

To put things in perspective, the San Diego Padres have a ninth-inning ERA of well under 1.00. When the Padres get to the ninth inning, the game is essentially over. When the Reds get to the ninth inning, it's seemingly a coin flip if they're going to be competitive.

The Reds can't contend with a bullpen like this. They're going to need to make some moves if they want to be competitive down the stretch this season.

This article first appeared on Cincinnati Reds on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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