Maybe Harold Camping isn’t wrong. He’s just misread his prediction.

For the second time in 17 years, Camping incorrectly predicted the end of the world. He thought it was going to be around suppertime last Saturday. I had a bologna and cheese sandwich, so if my dinner had been interrupted by the rapture I wouldn’t have been out very much.

But instead of the end of the world, maybe he should have been predicting the end of the Cincinnati Reds hopes of finishing in first place this season.

The Reds’ offense has been virtually dead for weeks. It occasionally imitates Lazarus and comes to life, but it’s only for a short period of time then heads back to the tomb.

Just ask Edinson Volquez.

After struggling in the first inning yet again on Sunday, Volquez decided to point a finger at the offense. “We’re not getting the hitting like we were,” he said.

The Reds would like for Volquez to start pitching like he did two years ago when he won 17 games and made the National League All-Star team. The team’s think trust decided to emphasize their hopes by shipping the struggling pitcher back to the minor leagues to work out his problems.

Other than Volquez, the starting pitching has been pretty good with the exception of Bronson Arroyo’s performance on Monday when he was shelled for nine runs as they Reds lost 10-3 to the Phillies and absorbed their sixth straight loss.

It was only a little more than a week ago that the Reds completed a rare sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to take over first place in the NL Central. Thinks were looking good.

They beat Chicago two straight on Monday and Tuesday, but the Cubs’ defense helped out the process. Then came the Pirates and two ugly losses.

Little did the Reds know it was only the start of things getting worse.

It didn’t help that Cincinnati went to Cleveland to play the American League’s best team. The result was three more losses.

To make matters worse, the Reds headed for Philadelphia to face the National League’s best team in a stadium the Reds haven’t won it seems since Camping’s first prediction.

The offense has had trouble with consistency as well as production.

Last season leftfielder Jonny Gomes had a career year in the first half of the season and struggled after the all-star break.

Those struggles have continued this year after a red-hot early April. Nevertheless, manager Dusty Baker saw fit to insert him in the lineup against the Indians and pencil him in as the No. 2 batter.

The defense was the best in the National League, but it has shown a few chinks in its armor lately.

Every team goes through a slump. Sometimes all areas are affected. Hopefully this is only a blip in the radar.

Hey, it’s just a losing streak, not the end of the world.

—— Sinatra ——

Jim Walker is sports editor of The Ironton Tribune.