Following a stronger start to 2024, the Reds feel ready for the challenges ahead of them

On Saturday, Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell thought that the Reds were in the clear.

For weeks, three different bugs were going around the clubhouse. Some of the players had bad allergies, some of them had a cold and a few had flu-like symptoms. But on Saturday afternoon, finally, Bell was under the impression that the Reds had put these illnesses behind them.

A few hours later, second baseman Jonathan India had to leave the game due to an illness. The following day, both India and outfielder Jake Fraley were out of the lineup because they were under the weather.

These bugs could have tipped the scale for the start of the Reds’ season. They were already missing TJ Friedl, Matt McLain and Noelvi Marte. They were already getting inconsistent performances from key players like Hunter Greene, Frankie Montas, Jeimer Candelario and Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

The 21-game start is best since 2013

Still, the Reds wrapped up the weekend with a series sweep over the Los Angeles Angels and a 12-9 record for the season. Despite everything that’s gone against them, they’ve avoided a slow start for the first time in over a decade.

“I feel like we haven’t played our best yet,” Reds manager David Bell said. “It’s good to see some results and feel like we’re getting something shown for the work we’ve put in. We’re continuing to try to get better.”

With the 12-9 start, the Reds have their best record through 21 games since 2013. During Bell’s six-year tenure with the Reds, it’s the first time that they’ve had a record above .500 at the end of the third week of the season.

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Bell has spent his managerial career searching for the right formula for a strong start. In 2019, the Reds’ offense had a historically poor slump to start the season. In 2020, the bullpen crumbled at the start of the year. The offense faced another slump in April of 2021, and there wasn’t much talent on the roster in 2022 and the beginning of the 2023 season as the Reds quickly fell under .500.

When the Reds lost Friedl, McLain and Marte, it looked like the Reds were facing some familiar early-season adversity. This year, even though the Reds haven’t reached their full potential yet as a team, they’ve survived and taken advantage of matchups against weaker opponents.

“We’re playing solid,” Candelario said. “We can continue to get better as the season goes. We’re solid. The next is to keep getting better. The lineup, keep being consistent. You’ll have ups and downs in this game. At the same time, you’ve got to find ways to win ball games.”

Despite what they’re missing, the Reds still have a lot of talent on the roster. While some players have struggled, Elly De La Cruz, Spencer Steer, Tyler Stephenson, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo and the bullpen have been a part of the group that’s picked the team up.

“I love our players and how we’re going about it,” Bell said. “How we play as a team. The work. How hard we play. The simple things. That’s what it takes. We have the talent. If we continue to do those things, we’ll keep getting better.”

Reds didn't let sweep at Seattle sink them

Last week, the Reds faced an early turning point in their season. The Seattle Mariners swept the Reds in a three-game series where Cincinnati scored five runs.

Coming off of a tough series for the offense, the Reds looked at the big picture. They tipped their caps to the Mariners' pitching and didn’t overreact with big adjustments. With another year of experience under everyone’s belt, the Reds’ young hitters had been through similar experiences at the big league level.

The Reds’ hitters decided to take some extra batting practice to get into a better rhythm, but they had a good idea that they were on the right track.

“We had a turn the page mentality,” Steer said. “We believe that we’re good hitters. You can’t hold us down forever. We trusted that three games didn’t define us as an offense. We kept moving forward.”

Following Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels, the Reds had the 12th-best OPS in MLB, ranked 10th in home runs and ranked ninth in runs.

In stretches, the youth in the Reds’ lineup shows up with a slump. Very early in the season, De La Cruz was struggling with his pitch selection. Now, he looks like one of the most dynamic hitters in baseball. India was setting the table at the top of the Reds’ lineup early in the year, but now he’s having his own issues with pitch selection.

In the first 10 days of the season, Will Benson seemingly made hard contact every time he swung the bat. His production has fallen off recently, but now Stephenson is providing that quality contact in the middle of the Reds’ order.

Encarnacion-Strand and Candelario are the only two Reds’ hitters who haven’t had a hot stretch at the plate yet. But on Sunday, they were the ones who created all of the Reds’ offense. Encarnacion-Strand gave the Reds the lead with a two-run double, and Candelario drove him in with a triple.

“We’re putting together good at-bats, getting on base a lot and being aggressive on the bases,” Candelario said. “We’re that team. That’s our way.”

It’s been a similar development process for a young starting rotation that hasn’t had all five pitchers click at the same time yet. The Mariners’ sweep over the Reds provided a blueprint for a successful Reds’ season. In that series, three young Mariners starting pitchers threw a lot of strikes, pitched deep into games and overpowered Reds’ hitters.

“We definitely got out-pitched in that series, for sure,” Reds reliever Brent Suter said. “We have a good enough staff where we shouldn’t get out-pitched like that ever again.”

The Reds’ series sweep against the Angels was a big step in the right direction. Nick Lodolo has looked like the Reds’ best pitcher, and Graham Ashcraft’s much improved two-seam fastball has made him a more consistent pitcher.

Reds team ERA solidly in top half of MLB

Ashcraft and Andrew Abbott have both executed the adjustments they worked on throughout spring training. Following Sunday’s game, the Reds had the 12th-best team ERA in MLB.

There’s also room for the pitching staff to take another step. Montas, who entered Sunday with a 4.34 ERA, left the game with a right forearm bruise and may have to miss his next start. Greene has had success with his new splitter and his new curveball, but he’s still working toward his goal of consistently pitching deeper into games.

“Every day will be different,” Reds catcher Luke Maile said about Greene. “From a 10,000 foot view, there’s a lot of growth he has done over the last year. It’s hard to say what his ceiling is. He’s really committed to each pitch right now. He hasn't lost sight of the moment this year. When you do things like that, you’ll establish a ceiling you didn’t even know you had.”

The same can be said for the Reds’ entire young core. While the Reds haven’t been consistent enough to climb into first place in the NL Central, they’ve done enough to deliver the team’s best start to a season since 2013.

Despite the injuries, the illnesses and a lot of moving pieces, the 2024 Reds are showing flashes of their potential. They’ve taken advantage of opportunities against bad teams on their schedule, but now the task gets much more difficult.

The Reds don’t face another bad team until June. They’ll face World Series contenders like the Phillies, Rangers, Orioles, Dodgers and Diamondbacks. They’ll also face the Cubs and Cardinals, who are two favorites in the NL Central, and the Padres and Giants, who have a lot of star power.

It’s an opportunity for the 2024 Reds to prove where they stack up in the National League.

“We have a young team that’s hungry and wants to get better every day,” Bell said. “I say it every day, but it’s really important because that’s how I feel. I love our team.”

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The Cincinnati Reds are ready to discover their ceiling