The Cincinnati Reds are set to start a new series on Friday night when they welcome the Houston Astros to Great American Ball Park.

"New" is a word that the Reds need to focus on with this series. Coming into the series with the Astros, Cincinnati is riding a seven-game losing streak. It started with an abysmal performance against the Pittsburgh Pirates last weekend and ended in multiple heartbreaks against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The road trip is over, but it didn't end without some damage. Along the way, the Reds would lose closer Emilio Pagan to a hamstring injury, and on Thursday, starting pitcher Rhett Lowder would exit his start early with a shoulder issue.…