Reds' Bruce unable to enjoy personal success with team struggling
CINCINNATI -- For Jay Bruce, what he is doing now is bittersweet, like biting into a chocolate bar only to find it filled with dill pickles.
After a snail's trot start in the batter's box the first six weeks of the season, Bruce is on baseball's version of a demolition derby. He has hits in seven of his last eight games (14 for 30, .467) and in five of those games he has two or more hits. In those eight games he has raised his batting average 62 points, from .162 to .224.
And the poor guy can't even enjoy it. While he is Amazon-hot, his team is Arctic-cold, losing nine straight games. His poker-like bat isn't helping the team climb out of the abyss.
"Losing is not fun. Losing is terrible," said Bruce. "Losing sucks. Losing is the exact opposite reason you play the game. We're collectively not getting the job done."
Bruce was talking before the Reds played the Colorado Rockies Tuesday night, trying to avoid the burden of a double-digit losing streak.
"If we pitch, we don't hit. If we hit, we don't pitch," Bruce added. "If the starters pitch well, the relievers don't. If the relievers pitch well, the starters don't. The hitters don't hit with runners in scoring position. There is a laundry list of different things."
It's a list of dirty laundry. And included in that laundry is some bad defensive play, something uncommon to the team with the best defensive numbers over the last couple of years.
"Lately we've even been making errors in the field and that's something we never ever do. We're the best defensive team in the league. There are some uncharacteristic things happening," said Bruce.
The Reds were swept over the weekend in Cleveland when the Indians were in last place in the American League Central. In Sunday's finale, the Reds made three errors and failed to convert ready-made double plays on ground balls to Brandon Phillips.
On Monday in the home opener of a three-game series with Colorado, last place in the National League West, third baseman Todd Frazier made a throwing error that led to two unearned runs and the Reds lost, 5-4.
"I'm not trying to throw anybody under the bus about defense, but we are better than this and things have to change," said Bruce.
"We have to play baseball. PLAY baseball. It's a game. You have to play it and you can't force things to happen."
Despite the team's longest losing streak since 1997, Bruce maintains a positive posture.
"Everyone in here is frustrating, from (owner) Bob Castellini to (clubhouse manager) Rick Stowe to the assistant strength coach," said Bruce. "We are a group of guys who work very hard, prepare and take it seriously. We have a lot of pride in doing things the right way and winning.
"When I first came up (2008) this organization was used to losing (nine straight losing seasons), but we're not used to losing now," Bruce added. "So we're here right now doing everything we can, sometimes maybe too much, in order to turn the tide."
Bruce said the team is fully prepared every day to win, even when it doesn't happen. The team comes back the next day and goes through everything again to prepare to win.
"You have to be prepared for the opportunity to win, when it does present itself," he said. "You have to let it happen. I'm not saying you sit back and do nothing. But take the pressure off ourselves. Believe me, everybody is trying their best, probably trying too hard," Bruce added. "People in this clubhouse want to win way more than anyone else, more than the fans, whoever. I know the fans come to watch us play and win. So it is not fun. Not fun at all. We are a group of guys who want nothing more than to win every single day. It is not happening right now.
"We've lost nine in a row but it can easily go nine in a row the other way," said Bruce. "We have to be ready for that opportunity to win, because it will pass yu by. We're playing against the best in the world every single day, so you have to be prepared, be accountable for your actions and do every single thing you can every day to win. And I believe we are doing that. It just not good enough right now."
Manager Bryan Price's take on the string of stinging losses is one of eternal hope, optimism and a don't let this get you down attitude.
"It comes down to not feeding into the frustration and the stress, even though it hard not to," said Price. "Beyond this being our livelihood, it is personal. The driving force as to why we do this is not financial. We just love what we do. So when our players are struggling and our team is struggling, you struggle with them.
"A little levity might be needed -- take a selective sigh and breathe a little bit," he added. "We play a game we all love and are totally invested in it. Just get back to playing and having fun. And that's hard to do when you are on a losing streak. But that eventually is what leads you back to victory."
