Rookie Sal Stewart message to panicking Cincinnati Reds fans: 'Chill'

CHICAGO -- They're swirling the drain in the National League Central. They're having trouble getting a lead and more trouble holding one if they get it. And with injuries mounting to key players, it's no wonder the locals are restless.

At least it's only May, right?

On the other hand, holy cow, it's only May.

“So many people are in a panic right now,” Reds star rookie Sal Stewart said, his voice rising just a little in an otherwise quiet clubhouse Wednesday night, May 6. “Just gotta chill. We’re good. Things like this happen all the time, and especially to good teams. We’re in a good spot and we’re gonna keep going. 

“Everyone in this clubhouse knows that we’ve got it taken care of, and we’re going to come out  here and keep playing hard.”

Whether that makes anybody back home feel better, the Reds are six games into a seven-game, two-city trip without a win. They opened with two straight blowout losses and have lost four straight one-run games to the Pirates and Chicago Cubs – including three consecutive walk-offs to open the four-game series at Wrigley Field.

They led all three late, including twice in the ninth inning. And on the night they put closer Emilio Pagán on the injured list then scored four in the ninth to take the lead, Graham Ashcraft blew the save in the bottom of the inning.

Oof.

After all those days in first place, fattening up on American League teams, the Reds are 1-8 in National League Central play, including eight straight losses to the Pirates and Cubs.

They were in first place by a game over the Cubs when this road trip began and have sunk all the way to five games behind Chicago and its $767 million lineup.

Oof, oof.

What's next?

"We just get up and we keep playing," Stewart said.

Stewart was involved in one of the stranger, costly plays for the Reds in the series, when he was the lead runner in a first-and-third, nobody-out situation in the sixth and misread a grounder behind the bag at third. Stewart hesitated about 10 feet off the bag just long enough for Alex Bregman to glove it and hang Stewart out for the quick tag.

“If I go back, I felt he would have tagged me,” Stewart said. “It was just a weird play right down the line.”

Manager Terry Francona called it a learning experience for Stewart.

As much as anything, it was just the way things have been going for the Reds during a weeklong road trip that has included two rain delays, two extra-inning games, two blowouts, three walk-offs and no wins.

They take their longest losing streak since an eight-gamer two years ago this month into the Chicago series finale.

“The best way I know how is to learn from everything that just happened and move on,” Francona said. “This is what we do, man. This is all I do. And it’s not fun…

“I know you can sit back and look at the big picture,” Francona said, “and I know a month from now we’ll look back and go, ‘God, that was a sh—y week and we’re OK.’ But when you’re going through it, it’s hard.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Rookie Sal Stewart message to panicking Cincinnati Reds fans: 'Chill'