Can the Reds REALLY win the National League Central?

National League Central

The team is currently in third place in the National League Central division at 39-38. They are six games back in the division behind the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs have established themselves as the realistic contenders in the National League Central. However, the Reds are still in the conversation for claiming the pennant in the central.

The Brewers are leading the division at 46-33 on the season. The Cubs are 42-37 and four games back in the conversation. The Reds will need some help to win the division, but they can REALLY win the National League Central.

Brewers and the Cubs

The Cardinals have fallen off the map in the National League Central division. Heading into the All-Star break, they have fallen apart in the division. Milwaukee and Chicago are the two teams that Reds fans need to be concerned about as summer baseball advances.

Milwaukee has a dominant pitching staff behind Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff. However, they have struggled with offense immensely. The team is batting .218 with a .306 OBP.

Christina Yelich has been lackluster in 2021 between injuries and slumps at the plate. He is batting .253 on the season, but his OBP is .409. For the Brewers’ offense to be dominant, Yelich must hit.

This is one area where the Reds could take advantage of the league leaders in the National League Central. The Cubs are the other contender in the division. The team is more well-rounded than the Brewers, but they do not have a great pitching staff.

Although, the team can hit the baseball behind Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and Kris Bryant. The Reds can hit with the Cubs, but Chicago’s pitching is better than Cincinnati. This is concerning for the franchise in the National League Central hunt.

The Reds: Contenders or Pretenders?

Cincinnati is a contender in the National League Central. Nevertheless, the team still is a worse club than the Brewers and the Cubs. Luck would need to be on the side of the Reds in 2021 for them to claim the division.

The Reds are going to struggle with pitching down the stretch of the season. The team has a collective 4.65 ERA which is not good relative to the rest of the division.

However, with the trade deadline approaching, Cincinnati could trade for a wing that makes them competitive. However, I do not think this is likely because the team is not a realistic World Series threat in 2021.

If the Reds picked up an arm, it would help complement their potent offense behind Nicholas Castellanos and Jesse Winker. Pitching and defense win games because if a team cannot score, it’s impossible to win.

Milwaukee has the best pitching staff in the division, which should help them prevail in the National League Central.