Austin Hays, Reds ride power surge into finale vs. Rockies

Even after a two-homer game Saturday afternoon, Austin Hays may not be the hottest member of the Cincinnati Reds.

For Ryan McMahon, an epic slump symbolizes all that is going wrong for the Colorado Rockies.

The Reds will look to complete a series sweep on Sunday afternoon in Denver against the Rockies, who will attempt to begin reversing the worst start in franchise history.

Left-hander Nick Lodolo (2-2, 2.79 ERA) is slated to start for the Reds against Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner (0-1, 3.86).

Hays hit a pair of solo shots Saturday, including a tie-breaking blast in the sixth inning that sent the Reds toward a 6-4 victory.

Noelvi Marte hit a two-run homer as Cincinnati continued an offensive surge that began when it hit the road on April 18. The Reds are 5-3 and batting .319 with 15 homers — including at least one in every game — on a nine-game trek that will end Sunday afternoon.

The Reds hit just .213 with 17 homers in the first 19 games.

The rebirth has been fueled by the five players who had at least two hits Saturday — Hays, plus TJ Friedl, Elly De La Cruz, Gavin Lux and Spencer Steer. The quintet is batting .347 during the road trip.

Hays, who missed the first 17 games while recovering from a left calf strain, has batted fourth behind De La Cruz in his last nine starts.

“You’ve got to think twice, pitching to De La Cruz, knowing that Hays is behind him, because he’s dangerous,” Reds manager Terry Francona said.

The Rockies are struggling in all facets during a franchise-worst 4-22 start.

Colorado, which is just the seventh team since 1901 to record four or fewer wins in its first 26 games, ranks last in the National League with a .216 batting average and a 5.22 ERA.

Ninth-place hitter Adael Amador had a career-high three hits — including his first career homer — while fourth- and fifth-place hitters Hunter Goodwin and Michael Toglia each went 2-for-4 on Saturday. The rest of the Rockies were a combined 1-for-24, however.

McMahon went 0-for-4 and has just two hits in his last 50 at-bats dating to April 11, though he didn’t strike out Saturday for the first time since April 9. Afterward, manager Bud Black said the left-handed-hitting McMahon likely will sit out Sunday against Lodolo.

“We are still searching for answers and we’re still working on it,” said McMahon, who is batting .160 this season. “But I’ve got to start producing, got to start helping the team. I can’t be in the three-hole doing what I’m doing.”

Lodolo took the defeat last Monday, when he allowed three runs over 5 2/3 innings as the Reds fell to the Marlins 6-3. Feltner didn’t factor into the start Tuesday after allowing one run over a season-high seven innings in the Rockies’ 4-3, 11-inning loss to the Kansas City Royals.

Lodolo is 0-0 with a 3.72 ERA in two career starts against the Rockies. Feltner is 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA in two starts versus the Reds.

–Field Level Media