Previously Electric Cincinnati Reds Suddenly Struggling Through Historic Power Outage

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Just prior to the MLB All-Star break, the Cincinnati Reds set a franchise record. The team homered in 22 consecutive games. They defeated the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-5, on July 8th. That capped a 17-5 run in which the team set the aforementioned home-run record.

Since then? Disaster. The Reds have lost three straight games. Not only have they failed to hit a single home run in those three games but they haven't scored a single run. Not one. Twenty-seven straight innings of scoreless baseball against the now NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers.

And it's not like the Brewers are crushing the ball, either. They've defeated the Reds 1-0, 1-0 and 3-0 over those three games.

Five total runs for the Milwaukee Brewers in three games. And three wins.

Elly De La Cruz and the entire Cincinnati Reds offense has gone dark over the past three games.

Elly De La Cruz and the entire Cincinnati Reds offense has gone dark over the past three games. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

But teams don't need to score much when their opponent isn't even threatening. The Reds can't hit right now. At all.

In fact, it's a historic streak for a team that previously captivated fans with their young and exciting offense.

Talk about going from red-hot to a complete blackout.

Cincinnati Reds offense is gone

The Cincinnati Reds scored eight runs in that win on July 8th. And they have eight hits in their previous three games.

Rookie phenom Elly De La Cruz is 1-12 in the past three games. Another rookie sensation, Matt McClain, is 1-11. Future Hall of Famer Joey Votto is 0-8. Spencer Steer, another rookie tearing it up, hasn't had a hit in 11 days -- he's in a career-worst 0-20 slump.

Team leader Jonathan India is in a 2-22 skid.

So, yeah, it's bad. And no one is getting the job done.

But the question is: can the young team rebound? Since Elly De La Cruz made his MLB debut, it's been pretty smooth sailing for the team. But this is their first major speed bump.

They fell out of first place and now trail the Brewers by one game in the NL Central. The teams finish a three-game set on Sunday. A win, obviously, puts the Reds back in a tie for the division lead.

Matt McLain and the entire Cincinnati Reds offense has gone dark over the past three games.

Matt McLain and the entire Cincinnati Reds offense has gone dark over the past three games. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)

It's not getting any easier, either. Though the team is in the midst of a 10-game home stand, they have no days off during that time. And the two teams coming to town next are the San Francisco Giants (four games) and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Both teams have more wins this season than the Cincinnati Reds.

It's a huge stretch for a team that's trying to prove it belongs in the National League playoffs.

But do they?

We're going to find out.

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.