You can talk all you want about pitching. And, while it's true the Reds' starters don't compare with Arizona's or Atlanta's, Cincinnati's recent woes can squarely be blamed on the offense. The Reds cranked out two runs on six hits Wednesday in a 9-2 loss to the St.Louis Cardinals.

Despite Eduardo Perez's safe sign, J.D. Drew is out at home after being tagged by Jason LaRue. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        It was a 3-1 game after seven innings, but you never got the feeling that the Reds were in it.

        The Reds had a brief team meeting, called by manager Bob Boone, after the loss.

        “He's a little frustrated with the way we've played the last couple of days,” pitcher Jose Rijo said. “If you ask me, we should be disappointed, the way we played the whole second half. Guys are trying to do too much. They're swinging for home runs.”

        It hasn't worked. The Reds have averaged 2.9 runs a game in the first 16 games of this season-defining stretch of 23 games in 23 days.

        The verdict: Offensively awful.

        “We're not playing the way we're accustomed to,” outfielder Adam Dunn said. “We're just not hitting at all.”

Jason LaRue and Sean Casey nearly collide trying to catch a foul ball. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        The Reds are 4-12 in the first 16 games of the 23-game stretch. Wednesday's loss put them 8 1/2 games behind the Cardinals in the National League Central.

        So even if the Reds sweep the remaining four games with St. Louis, they'll be 4 1/2 games back.

        The Reds are a frustrated team - individually and collectively. Left-hander Gabe White suffered a pulled groin and was placed on the disabled list. It was his third injury of the year.

        “I'm so frustrated, I can't think clearly,” White said.

        The Reds were shut out through six innings Wednesday, pushing their scoreless streak to 21 innings. Before the seventh, they had scored in one of their previous 32 innings and two of their previous 42.

        Left-hander Shawn Estes pitched well: seven innings, three runs, five hits, two walks, four strikeouts. But a lapse in control hurt him.

Shawn Estes smiles after getting a strikeout. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        He was one out into the fourth when he walked Albert Pujols and Eduardo Perez back-to-back. That led to a three-run inning. Both of the walked players scored.

        “I didn't do my job,” said Estes. “I gave free passes and they ended up scoring. It's a 0-0 game, you've got to make them hit in that situation.”

        One of St. Louis' runs was scored with the aid of a Barry Larkin error. It was the shortstop's first miscue in 42 games, ending the longest errorless streak of his career.

        But the Reds' bats, not defense or pitching, are the problem.

        Is there anything Boone or his staff can do to right the offensive ship?

        “I don't think so,” he said. “Each individual has to reach down in themselves. They have to relax and not put the world on their shoulders.”

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