But the Reds have taken a series against each of those teams already this season. The Reds will match up against each of them again in September, but the quality baseball that the Reds have played against those teams gives the Reds a boost of confidence.
“We’ve put ourselves in a good position to be successful throughout the league,” Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene said. “We were able to come out on top in this series, and it’s a testament to everyone in this clubhouse.”
The Reds have played very well this season against the best teams on their schedule, including series wins over the summer against the Padres, Mets, Tigers, Yankees and Cubs. The Reds’ rotation has about as much upside as any team in baseball, and a pesky Reds’ offense has been hard to keep at bay when it strikes the right balance between working patient at-bats and aggressively hunting pitches to do damage against.
“We’re just a tough team to beat when we play clean,” Reds first baseman Spencer Steer said. “Our pitching staff has been doing it all year. As an offense, when we run the bases, that’s the kind of little stuff that makes us good. That’s how we have to play. It’s exciting when we’re playing like that and everyone is feeling confident and we’re going for it and we’re aggressive.”
While the Mets’ pitching depth and center field options have faltered and while the Padres’ defense, position player depth and rotation haven’t given the team enough, the Reds are pretty well rounded compared to their competition.
Those traits from the Reds have shown up in head-to-head competition against the Mets, Padres and the other top teams on their schedule.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The depth has particularly shown up against the Padres and Mets as Austin Hays, Tyler Stephenson, Matt McLain, Nick Martinez and the bullpen delivered big moments in those series wins.
“It’s a lot of excitement,” Greene said. “We play this game to be in tough situations. To beat the odds. To be uncomfortable. To be right in the mix of that, I welcome that. I embrace it.”
What’s been keeping the Reds from pulling ahead in the Wild Card race has been performances against some bad teams on their schedule. The Reds haven’t taken care of business enough against teams like the Pirates, Nationals, White Sox and Braves.
“We’re obviously on the younger side,” Pagán said. “The consistency has been a battle for us. But when we’re dialed in, taking team at-bats, taking care of the ball and not walking guys on the mound, we’re pretty hard to beat. If we had a better reason, we’d have an answer. We just seem to do it against good teams more consistently. We know we’re good. The trick will be how consistent we can be for the rest of the year.”
The Reds believe that the adjustments that the team made at the trade deadline will help with that consistency. Adding an elite defensive third baseman in Ke’Bryan Hayes has already directly led to wins for the Reds. Miguel Andujar prevents left-handed pitching from being such a kryptonite for the Reds. Zack Littell adds to the team’s pitching depth, which is more impressive on paper than the Mets and Padres.
The Reds have enough pieces to contend this fall. Reds manager Terry Francona stresses one key piece for the Reds to take the next step.
“If you play the game right, you give yourself a chance,” Francona said. “I’ve told them from Day 1 that it would help us win games. They do it. That’s how we have to play.”
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