Will losing streak mean changes for Reds?

CLEVELAND — Every team reaches the point of no return at some juncture in the season.

The Reds appear on the cusp of that point.

They went into Saturday's game having lost six in a row. Then they got a double shot of bad news: Ace Johnny Cueto is going to miss at least one start, and catcher Devin Mesoraco is almost certainly done for the year.

If owner Bob Castellini decides this season is hopeless, what happens?

The quick and easy — well, relatively easy — move is to change managers. Bryan Price is signed through 2016. Price took a lot of the blame after Friday's loss.

"A large part of that is on me," he said. "I've been given the task of putting the puzzle pieces together and I'm not doing a very good job of it. It's a team that should be playing better than we are right now."

I want to very clear here: I don't think Price is to blame for the current woes. During the six-game losing streak the starting pitchers had allowed 33 runs in 25 1/3 innings and the Reds had been outscored 47-16 in those games.

No manager can do anything to overcome that.

"It's not that we're just losing," Price said. "There's a lot of distance between us the teams we're playing. We're not losing the 4-3 game, saying, 'well, we needed a big hit or bunt or someone to come in and throw an inning of scoreless relief.' We need a good start, we need a good bullpen, we need to take advantage of scoring opportunities.

"We have to do everything better than we have in this streak. It will end. Things will get better, but when you're in it, it's the worst. It's a terrible feeling. You take nothing home good with you. You lose sleep and try to come in the next day and have that feel-good win."

If those wins don't come quickly, there's a chance Price does not survive the season. The Reds have a ready replacement in third base coach Jim Riggleman. Riggleman has managed 12 years in the majors.

Castellini fired Jerry Narron 82 games into the 2007 season and replaced him with Pete Mackanin. Mackanin was a placeholder until the club hired Dusty Baker.

General manager Walt Jocketty, like Price, is signed through next year. He put this roster together. I thought the Reds could be competitive if a lot of things went right.

Instead, a lot of things have gone wrong. It started early with the season-ending injury to Homer Bailey, followed by Mesoraco's injury.

The fixes for the bullpen — adding Burke Badenhop and Kevin Gregg — didn't work. Marlon Byrd has been an upgrade in the left field, but he struggled through April. (Full disclosure: I liked all three moves at the time the Reds made them, given their financial limitations).

The move to go with veteran Jason Marquis as a the fifth starter over a younger starter hasn't worked out either.

And the everyday eight hasn't exactly torn it up. Zack Cozart and Brandon Phillips are the only two to exceed expectations. Jay Bruce and Billy Hamilton have struggled mightily. Joey Votto looked like an MVP in April. In May, he's looked like the guy who struggled last year.

Right now — with ace Johnny Cueto missing a start — the rotation has three rookies in it.

In short, the players haven't gotten it done.

A lot of people out there in Redsland want to see the club blow it. Castellini has always been reluctant to go for a wholesale rebuild.

Even if he signs off on a fire sale, what do the Reds really have to sell? Contracts make Votto, Phillips and Bailey untradable. Cueto is the top commodity, but until he's back pitching and shows his elbow is healthy, no one is going to trade for him.

Mike Leake and Aroldis Champan have value. Catcher Brayan Pena would probably fetch a decent prospect. Bruce has value.

"I'd take a flyer on him," an American League scout said, "and see if our on-the-field people could fix him. He looks healthy. His home runs and walks still grade out at 60 to 65 (on the 80-point scale). It's just that his hit-ability is at 25 right now."

That was before Bruce's recent hot streak.

Castellini is always optimistic about his club. So maybe he rides it out a bit longer and hopes they turn it around. But there were few signs of that the past six games.