Road 7, Reds 2

The Reds ended the road trip 2-7. Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians was a lot like the other six: It started well enough, but when given a chance to let it get away the Reds did.

That's how you get to be a 17-27 team. The Reds come home for eight games. Afterward, we asked the usual is-it-good-to-be-coming-home questions.

“It’s nice to get home,” Scott Hatteberg said. “But we said that after last road trip and we played poorly at home. We've got to play good at home. It was a tough trip. We played some good teams, real good teams.”

The teams the Reds play on the homestand -- Washington and Pittsburgh -- aren't what you'd call real good.

The Reds played Los Angeles, San Diego and Cleveland on the road trip. Those teams went into Sunday a combined 73-53. The Nationals and the Pirates were a combined 34-51.

So the time is right for making a move. But the question is: Are the Reds capable of playing well consistently? The answer so far is a big fat no.

And it doesn't matter where they play. The Reds are 8-12 at home – 4-10 since the first homestand of the year.

By the way, the bullpen is no longer problem: The relievers have a 1.42 ERA over the last four games.