The Reds stay on track in the playoff race with series split vs. Cleveland
Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell recently said the story of the team’s season “hasn’t been written yet.”
A young Reds roster is currently trying to stay in the playoff race. Most of these players haven’t even started many MLB games in the month of August, let alone games that mattered this much in the standings. Everyone in the Reds’ starting lineup on Wednesday except for Joey Votto wasn’t a starter in MLB at this point last year.
The Reds beat the Cleveland Guardians, 7-2, on Wednesday at Great American Ball Park to split the two-game series. Coming off of a very discouraging stretch at the start of August, the Reds won a series in Pittsburgh and traded wins with the Guardians.
The Reds were 3.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the division entering Wednesday's game. The Brewers have a gauntlet of a schedule coming up, and the Chicago Cubs just saw their ace suffer an injury setback that has his season in question. The Reds also are still just one game back of the Miami Marlins in the Wild Card race.
The Reds survived their run of bad baseball at the beginning of August, and the players say they see signs of the team getting back to the level they were at in June and July.
Hunter Greene is scheduled to take his place at the top of the Reds’ rotation and come back off of the injured list on Sunday. Nick Lodolo looks great on his rehab assignment and is expected to return this month. Graham Ashcraft is pitching better than he ever has, and Andrew Abbott pushed through a lull in his rookie season and has rounded back into form. Abbott allowed two runs in five effective innings against the Guardians.
The bigger question around the Reds is the consistency of their offense. The lineup has been the culprit for most of the Reds’ losses since the All-Star break, and they’re missing Jonathan India and Jake Fraley’s presences in the lineup. The Reds are relying on inexperienced players to break out of a collective slump.
Wednesday’s win was a step in the right direction as Matt McLain and Stuart Fairchild picked up the offense with two-run home runs. The Reds still have a lot left to prove, but they’re getting their chance to show how good of a team the Reds can be.
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Three takeaways from Reds vs. Guardians
1. Abbott’s outing ended with one of his best pitches of the season. Guardians third baseman José Ramírez, one of the toughest hitters in baseball to strike out, worked a seven-pitch at-bat. On the seventh pitch, Abbott turned to his fourth best pitch. Improving his changeup was a big focus when Abbott was in the Minor Leagues at the start of the year. Abbott’s work paid off as he got Ramírez to whiff at a changeup.
2. With India and Fraley on the injured list, the Reds have an opening for an everyday role in the starting lineup. Fairchild’s playing time has increased recently because of his solid outfield defense, his speed and his pop. Fairchild powered a two-run home run that helped the Reds pull away on Wednesday.
3. Reds center fielder TJ Friedl is the team’s “Heart and Hustle award” winner for 2023, and he lived up to that honor with his play against the Guardians. He robbed a home run, slammed into the wall to make another catch, had two hits, laid down a bunt for a single, stole second base and slid head-first into home plate for a run.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds stay on track in the playoff race with series split vs. Cleveland
