Bell focusing on bullpen's growth after late loss

CINCINNATI -- For a moment it seemed the Reds bullpen may have turned a corner.

Entering Thursday’s series finale against the Marlins, the unit was riding a 15-inning scoreless streak dating back to Saturday. But when manager David Bell was in need of seven outs for a series victory and back-to-back series victories to start the second half, he saw the same woes that plagued his team in the first half return -- resulting in a 7-6 loss at Great American Ball Park and a series split.

Starter Graham Ashcraft kept the Reds in the game through 6 2/3 innings -- allowing three earned runs on six hits -- but departed with two outs and the tying run in scoring position.

Rookie right-hander Alexis Díaz entered in his place and promptly struck out Marlins center fielder JJ Bleday to escape the jam. Díaz returned to the mound the following inning, posting a scoreless frame.

Then came Hunter Strickland in the midst of his strongest month of the season. After securing a save in a two-run contest the night before, this time Strickland saw things get out of hand just pitches into his outing. The righty gave up a leadoff home run to Marlins pinch-hitter Jesús Sánchez on a slider down and in, tying the game, before subsequently walking second baseman Luke Williams and hitting catcher Jacob Stallings, before departing.

Bell looked to Buck Farmer to try to escape with the score tied, but instead allowed both runners to score, turning a one-run lead into a two-run deficit in the final frame. The Reds got a run back in the bottom half of the inning and put the tying run in scoring position, but the two-out rally fell just short as Joey Votto struck out to end the contest.

“It’s unacceptable,” Strickland said. “You have to [flush it]. That’s the nature of the game. Especially as a reliever, you’ve got to find a way to forget it, build off of it and move forward. There’s no other option.”

Bell defended his closer after his blown save and wasn't going to let one rough inning sour the amount of progress the unit has made over the recent months.

“[Strickland is] so tough. He’ll bounce right back and be ready,” Bell said.

During the first half of the season, the Reds’ bullpen was a clear weakness, and it didn't help when several key contributors -- Díaz, Vladimir Gutierez and Ross Detwiler -- hit the injured list. The Reds’ bullpen ranked dead last in ERA heading into the contest (5.17), but they’ve slowly seen the group take shape after many have returned from injury.

Prior to the game, Bell explained his group’s closer’s mentality -- a group of guys who aren't afraid of being handed the ball in the season’s highest leverage situations. The streak was bound to end at some point, and is not going to let their development go unnoticed.

“They’ve been pitching well,” Bell said. “[I have a] lot of confidence in the way they’ve been pitching. Hunter’s been doing a really nice job in that role. It happens to the best of them. As a closer, that’s why in the ninth inning, it can be tougher. It showed up right there. No matter who you're facing, [hitters] really bear down.”

Just as Bell has seen his bullpen find its footing during an up and down season, the same can be said for Ashcraft, who continues to learn from each start of his rookie campaign.

“It was good. There were some positives,” he said of his outing. “The home run to Aguilar kind of went against the game plan … I threw a [cutter] that I should've have … in a location that I didn't need to. All in all, I was really pleased with it. There’s still things we need to work on, like always.”