The Royals celebrate their sweep over the Reds

A dropped fly ball by Jay Bruce, and two Jerry Hairston errors opened the door to five unearned runs for Johnny Cueto and a 7-1 loss to Kansas City on Sunday.

Six runs in three games, against three guys not named Zack Greinke is unacceptable, and a 2-4 road trip against KC and Washington is absurd…even if Joey Votto is out of the lineup.

The immortal Brian Bannister dropped his ERA by more than half a run by going eight innings and giving up just one unearned run.  In two of his last three starts, he gave up fifteen earned runs combined to the White Sox and Rays.

Team/Player Photos: Cincinnati Reds v Houston Astros on Jul 23, 2010

Somehow, someway, the Reds are still just 2.5 games out of first place, following losses by the Brewers and Cardinals on Sunday.

Cincinnati gets the day off on Monday before a six game homestand against Atlanta and the White Sox.