CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A month ago, if you could draw it up on paper for the first game of a must-win series for the Cincinnati Reds, you’d want All-Star Andrew Abbott on the mound.

A month ago, if you could draw it up on paper for the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded in a one-run game that the Reds were trailing, you’d want All-Star Elly De La Cruz at the plate.

There are several reasons why the Reds’ record has plummeted over the last few weeks. But when your backs are against the wall, your best players have to carry you.

Instead, Abbott and De La Cruz haven’t looked like themselves.

Just two weeks ago, the Reds were only a half-game back. On Friday at Great American Ball Park, the Mets beat the Reds, 5-4, and pulled six games ahead of Cincinnati for the final wild card

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