Blake Dunn error in the 9th GIFTS Arizona Diamondbacks win over Cincinnati Reds | Breakdown Analysis

Nick Kirby and Greg Kuffner will be LIVE in the 9th inning to recap the Cincinnati Reds vs Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cincinnati Reds return to Great American Ball Park on Friday night desperately searching for momentum as they begin a six-game homestand against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the opener of a three-game series.

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After another frustrating road trip, the Reds have now lost six of their last seven games and enter Friday’s matchup at 33-36, continuing a sharp decline after sitting nine games over .500 just six weeks ago. Cincinnati dropped the rubber match of its three-game set against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday afternoon, falling 5-4 after yet another late-game bullpen collapse.

Despite the recent struggles, Reds manager Terry Francona remains confident in his club.

“The results are not what we want. There’s no getting around that,” Francona said after Wednesday’s loss. “We’re going to struggle, and we’re going to struggle together. We’re going to figure it out together.”

One of the biggest reasons for Cincinnati’s recent slide has been the bullpen, which has completely regressed after a dominant start to the season.

Through the end of April, Reds relievers ranked fifth in Major League Baseball with a 3.44 ERA. Since then, Cincinnati’s bullpen has cratered to 29th in MLB with a 5.13 ERA, turning multiple winnable games into crushing losses during this difficult stretch.

Veteran reliever Caleb Ferguson believes the group is close to turning things around.

“Just got to keep making pitches,” Ferguson said. “You’re allowed to have skids in this game and they’re going to happen. The beauty of it is, I think we’re really, really close.”

The timing of this series could work in Cincinnati’s favor because Arizona enters town dealing with similar struggles.

The Diamondbacks have lost five of their last six games and were shut out in back-to-back games against the Miami Marlins on both Wednesday and Thursday. Arizona has now fallen back to the .500 mark after once looking like one of the hotter teams in the National League earlier this season.

The Diamondbacks haven’t won a series since sweeping the San Francisco Giants from May 25-27 and now sit at 34-34 entering Friday night.

Arizona will hand the ball to veteran left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who has quietly been one of the National League’s most effective starters this season.

Rodriguez enters the matchup with a 5-2 record and an impressive 2.52 ERA, ranking fifth among all National League pitchers. However, he is coming off one of his rougher outings after allowing four runs over 6.1 innings in a loss to the Washington Nationals his last time out.

Rodriguez has made three career appearances against Cincinnati, posting a 1-1 record with a solid 3.00 ERA.

The Reds will counter with left-hander Nick Lodolo, who continues searching for consistency after an up-and-down first half.

Lodolo enters Friday with a 2-1 record and a 5.51 ERA. In his most recent outing against the St. Louis Cardinals, he allowed four runs on 10 hits over five-plus innings and did not factor into the decision.

He has faced Arizona once in his career, allowing three runs across six innings in a no-decision last season.

With both teams struggling badly entering the weekend, Friday’s opener feels like a critical opportunity for each club to stop the bleeding.

**First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 PM EST at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.**

For the Reds, it’s simple: a return home needs to bring better results before this difficult stretch starts digging an even deeper hole in the standings.