The Reds made history on Tuesday night, albeit not the good kind. Cincinnati's bullpen entered its game against the Giants having allowed at least one run in 20 consecutive contests. That streak was preserved in the eighth inning, when San Francisco plated two against Caleb Cotham.
As Manny Randhawa noted Monday, the Reds' stretch of ineptitude puts them in a special class:
Cotham, fittingly enough, had been a relative bright spot: He entered Tuesday with the lowest ERA among Reds relievers with double-digit innings. On the flip side, de facto closer J.J. Hoover had allowed 16 runs (including five homers) in his 9 2/3 innings. You wouldn't think things could get much worse for Hoover (or the rest of the Reds relievers), but that doesn't guarantee things will get better, either.