On the mound, Mullane was the ace of the staff, as he had a 33–27 record with a 3.70 ERA in 56 starts, as he struck out 250 batters in 529.2 innings pitched.
The Red Stockings were coming off a second-place finish in the 1885 season, which was their highest placing since winning the 1882 American Association pennant.
The Red Stockings started the season off slowly, winning only four of their first twelve games to sit in seventh place.
The Red Stockings then went on a seven-game winning streak to climb into sixth place to bring their record to 31–35, however, they remained 12.5 games out of first.
However, Cincinnati faded down the stretch, and finished with a losing record for the first time in team history, as they were 65–73, which was good for fifth place 27.5 games behind the St. Louis Browns.