Have the Cincinnati Reds Turned the Page On Their Season?

The Reds have had a very odd season with the second worst start in MLB history with their 3-22 record in the first 25 games of the season. That was second worst to only the 1988 Orioles who went 0-21 to start that season. After 81 games into the season, the Reds improved their record to 28-53, but that was also their second worst record after 81 games behind the 1934 Reds.

They have clawed their way back to the 33-54 Reds that we know today which includes a nice five game win streak and a 7-3 record in their last ten. In that five game win streak, they swept a very good Tampa Bay Rays team and won the first of a three game series against a historically good New York Yankees team. Not to mention this was in the Bronx where the Yankees had only lost single digit games there all season.

Although the Reds are nowhere near a playoff team, it is safe to wonder: Are the Reds a team looking to make a comeback in the second half of the season? We can’t really say for sure what that comeback looks like, but for starters, getting themselves out of last place in the division would be nice.

NL Central Outlook

As it has been the case for most of the season, the Milwaukee Brewers are in sole possession of first place in the division by two games. The Cardinals are following close behind them before a big drop off in the third spot with the Pittsburgh Pirates trailing eleven games behind first place.

In fourth, stands the Chicago Cubs at 14.5 games back. This makes the Reds the last team in the division but only by one game at 15.5 games back from first place. They, again, find themselves within striking distance of first place as we come closer and closer to the halfway point of the season.

It is not far-fetched to believe that they can make it into fourth place and maybe with some more consistency, they can go on a hot streak to overtake the Pirates in third place to further legitimize their position.

Cincinnati’s Key Focus For the Rest of the Season

The most surprising and encouraging part of the recent hot streak that the Reds are on is how well the starting pitching rotation has been playing. All-Star nominee Luis Castillo gave up one run on Friday, Hunter Greene gave up one run on Saturday, and Nick Lodolo followed that performance up with five strong innings, giving up three runs.

The bullpen helped Lodolo in the finale against the Rays and was the savior for the Reds in their most recent game against the Yankees where they combined to pitch four innings of shutout baseball to give the offense the ability to make a ninth inning rally to beat the Yankees.

Pitching has been the main struggle for the Reds all season as they rank close to last in all of the pitching stats in the MLB, but there is still time to turn it around. The offensive will provide enough coverage in most games as long as the pitching can limit the damage throughout. I am hoping the Reds can figure it out and turn this historically bad season into one that can be improved upon.

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