By Garth Shanklin
Sports Editor

Exactly one week ago, this space was occupied by me saying, in no uncertain terms, this year was a lost year for the Reds. It didn’t matter what the team did on the field, the point of this season was to build for years in the future. 2017, 2018, who knows, but definitely not 2016.

Then the team solidified that opinion by losing every single game it played last week. Swept in four games by the Indians, then three more losses at home to the Mariners left the team reeling, having lost seven straight games and nine out of their last 10. Remember that three-game winning streak from earlier this month? Pepperidge Farm may remember, but I certainly don’t.

That got me thinking: just how bad is this team? Are they just going through a rut of bad luck, or are they that kind of awful we think of when we hear the phrase “1990s Bengals?”

So, let’s start at the end: the bullpen. Thanks to the wonderful folks at BaseballReference.com, I simultaneously managed to lose track of an hour and track down the five worst teams in Reds history, according to winning percentage. Fun fact: This year’s team currently sits with a worse winning percentage than any of them. At any rate, the squads from 1901, 1931, 1934, 1937 and 1982 were chosen, as well as last year’s team.

While I looked through the records, I noticed that the ’37 ballclub posted the second-worst win percentage in franchise history, finishing the season 56-98-1. Just two years later, the team posted the seventh-best mark, rebounding for a 97-57-2 record. If you’re looking for some positive news, there’s that at least, because I’m not sure anything from here on will help much.

At any rate, back to the bullpen. The current earned run average for the Reds relief crew as of this writing is a hearty 6.47, a full run higher than the second-worst team, Texas. The Reds have issued the most walks (95), surrendered the most runs (117) and, probably not unrelated, have pitched the most innings (162.2). Opposing teams are hitting .270 against the squad, “good” for 28th in the majors. Only Texas and Minnesota are worse.

Reds relievers have also allowed the most home runs out of any bullpen, 36, and the most hits, 171. They have also blown 10 saves, worst in MLB. The Twins have blown nine saves, but are currently without All-Star closer Glen Perkins, who recently suffered a setback on his recovery from a shoulder injury.

So, now that we’ve set the bar for bullpen futility at what basically amounts to ground-level, let’s see how some of the worst teams in history compare. Keep in mind, these are full-season stats.

Of the six teams I studied, the 1931 squad far and away had the most porous relief crew. Those hurlers pitched to a 5.02 ERA in 243.2 innings, allowing 136 runs in the process. It’s important to note the Major League Baseball schedule was only 154 games at the time and it’s hard to compare teams across eras, but even the worst bullpen the Reds had in one of the worst seasons in team history surrendered just nine home runs in the season. That same bullpen gave up 295 hits and walked 117 batters. The 2016 Reds are dangerously close to the walks and runs marks and we haven’t even hit June yet.

Oddly enough, the 1982 Reds bullpen was actually quite good. Sure, they lost 22 games, but they pitched to the tune of a 3.14 ERA in 456 innings of work. The relief corp only allowed 27 home runs and gave up just 159 earned runs on the season.

The ’82 club’s problem was a lack of offense. Nobody could hit, with just two regular players batting higher than .270. Cesar Cedeno led the team with a .289 batting average, two points ahead of Dave Concepcion’s .287. No player scored more than 64 runs and no batter drove in more than 57.

Last year’s Redlegs weren’t much better in the bullpen, but there was one key difference. The Reds’ relievers posted a 3.96 ERA in 2015, allowing 242 earned runs in 549.2 innings. If you remove Aroldis Chapman from those numbers, like the team did this season when they traded him to New York, and the team’s ERA jumps a third of a run to 4.28.

The rest of the inflated bullpen stats come when you compare the roster. Sam LeCure posted a 3.15 ERA in relief last year, but was not re-signed and currently pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ AAA affiliate in Oklahoma City. Manny Parra’s 3.90 ERA certainly isn’t spectacular, but considering the team’s best reliever by ERA is Dan Straily, who now finds himself in the rotation thanks to a rash of injuries to starting pitchers, Parra’s 3.90 mark isn’t terrible. Matter of fact, it would be third on the team. LeCure would lead the team with a 3.15 ERA, instead the best ERA on the staff belongs to Tony Cingrani, the de-facto closer. Blake Wood sits in second with a 4.43 mark.

It’s becoming an epidemic, because the Reds are by far the worst team in baseball in terms of relief pitching. In the seventh inning or later, the Reds currently sport a 7.04 ERA. Texas is second-worst with a 5.22 mark.

It’s so painfully obvious something had to be done with the Reds bullpen, the team finally did something last weekend. Sure, that something came on the heels of arguably the ‘pen’s best performance, three scoreless innings against the Mariners, but still.

As fun as it is to bash the bullpen, the offense has troubles too. The team is hitting just .233 this season, largely because Joey Votto is struggling. He’s currently hitting .205 on the year, which would put him behind the likes of Tyler Holt if Holt had enough at-bats to qualify. It’s hard to figure out where the issue is with Votto. The walks are still there, as he’s sporting a .341 on-base percentage, but they’ve been joined by an alarmingly high rate of strikeouts.

To date, the Reds’ first baseman has struck out in 47 of his 146 at-bats, or 32 percent. Last year, when Votto hit .314 with 29 home runs, he struck out just 135 times in 545 at-bats, or roughly 25 percent. That’s roughly around his numbers in his 2010 MVP season, where he struck out 23 percent of the time.

If there’s any hitter on the Reds I would expect to be at or around the .300 level come the end of the year, it’s Votto, even with the terrible start. I would not expect that player to be Zack Cozart, he of the career .250 batting average, yet here we are.

Cozart’s strikeout-to-walk rate is an issue, as the 30-year-old has drew just four walks this season. Yet he’s consistently getting on-base, as evidenced by his .333 on-base percentage. Cozart’s batting average currently sits at .323, which would easily be his best offensive year since his 38 plate appearances in 2011 resulted in a .324 batting average.

Cozart’s BABIP, or batting average on balls in play, currently sits at .333, way above his career average of .278. While that may point to some luck being involved, it’s also important to note that Cozart has drastically cut down on his strikeout rate. In 2013, he struck out 102 times in 567 at-bats, roughly 18 percent of the time.

In the three years since, one of which was admittedly cut short by injury, Cozart has struck out a total of 126 times in 833 at-bats, a rate of just over 15 percent. So, while there could be some regression, the improved strikeout rate should help keep Cozart producing offense for the Reds all season long. Which is convenient, since Votto is currently experiencing the exact opposite.

Votto’s career BABIP is .354, yet this season it’s sitting at a mere .253. His strikeout rate is rising, as previously discussed, but that’s nothing that he can overcome.

At any rate, it’s going to be a historic year in the Queen City. Sure, that history may be the most losses in franchise history, but that’s historic, right?