CINCINNATI — We’re about to find out a lot about these Reds.
For the first four months, well before they acquired three significant if not “sexy” pieces at the trade deadline, the Reds were the classic team that teased with potential but hung around the mediocrity of .500 baseball.
They’d win four, lose three, win five, lose four-of-five, win three and then lose three-of-four before winning three-of-four. It’s the kind of schizophrenic baseball that has tested the patience of even the most loyal fan in the championship-starved base of Reds Country.
The month since the All-Star break has been the perfect capsulation of this. The Reds won two of three from the Mets at Citi Field against a Mets team that had the best home record in the Majors. Then they lose the first two to the lowly Nationals before salvaging a 3-3 road trip. They come home and sweep Tampa Bay before losing two-of-three to the Dodgers. They fall behind 11-3 to the Braves, score eight in the eighth to tie the game before losing 12-11 in 10 innings. They win the next day 3-2 and then the debacle of the MLB Speedway Classic, losing 4-2 to the fourth-place Braves over the space of two days.
They hit the road and take two straight from the Cubs at Wrigley, then lose three straight, including the first two in Pittsburgh. They capture the final two in Pittsburgh, losing the opener against Philly and then blow out the NL East leaders 14-1 over the course of two wins. That’s 14-11 over 25 games.
Wednesday night is the latest example of what this Reds team could be. In an 8-0 win, ace right-hander Hunter Greene returned after a two-month stint on the injured list with a right groin strain and tossed six scoreless innings. Both of the position players acquired at the trade deadline are making big contributions, led by Miguel Andujar who belted a grand slam Wednesday and has three homers in his last four games.
“I think it’s the confidence the team gave me when I came here,” Andujar said. “I know most of the players, too. So I’m prepared. The more I prepare in practice, the more I’m prepared to contribute in a game.”
Then there’s Ke’Bryan Hayes, who has already made several spectacular diving plays at third base and has also chipped in with some timely offense, like Wednesday when he went 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.
Noelvi Marte has caught fire, chipping in with an RBI double and a run-scoring single on Wednesday. Marte has blossomed since he was moved to right field and Hayes was installed as the starting third baseman.
Add in aggressive smart base-running (though Marte was called out at third on a double that he tried to advance to third) and stellar defense and you have the components of a team that could make a run at a third wild card spot that is in the very tenuous possession of a Mets team that is struggling badly.
But now the stiffest test they’ve faced all season comes to town.
Following a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Brewers come to Cincinnati riding a 12-game winning streak and have won a remarkable 27 of 31 games to build the best record in the Majors at 76-44. The Brewers have dominated the Reds again this season, winning five of seven games this season and 12 straight series overall against Cincinnati, dating back to Aug. 2019. Milwaukee is 42-16 in the last 58 games against Cincinnati. The numbers are as scary as they are ugly. But this weekend would be a great time for the Reds to start turning the tide. The Brewers are running away with the NL Central, eight games clear of the Cubs and 13 of the Reds.
The Reds have road tests remaining against the Dodgers, Angels, Diamondbacks, Padres and yes, the Brewers to close the season. They have home series against the Mets and Blue Jays as well. It ain’t going to be easy but winning this series against Milwaukee this week could go a long, long way to instilling the confidence it’ll take to contend.
In addition to its current 12-game run, the Brewers have winning streaks of eight and 11 games and are 51-16 since starting the season 25-28.
On Wednesday, the Brewers rang up 12 runs in a 12-5 romp, a day after beating Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes and the Pirates, 14-0. In the 12-5 win, the Brewers capitalized on a pair of Pittsburgh errors for their first two runs and then scored four more in the fourth with four straight two-out run-scoring hits in the span of six pitches.
“We’re playing with a relentlessness,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I’m telling you, these are the games that if a line drive gets caught, one of their balls squeaks through, it’s a different game. I think we were fortunate (Wednesday), and I’m not taking anything away from our guys, because it’s just hard to keep winning Major League games. A lot has gone our way.”
The Brewers Friday will be looking to match the 1987 club – then in the American League – for the longest streak in franchise history at 13 straight wins.
While the Brewers are running away with the NL Central, their opponents this weekend are in a fierce fight for the third and final wild card spot in the National League. But like the Brewers, the Reds seem to be playing with more good karma and taking two of three from the NL East-leading Phillies.
The Reds send right-hander Nick Martinez (10-9, 4.49) to the mound in the series opener Friday, making his 24th start and 27th appearance of the season.
The right-hander was dominant in his last start last Saturday against the Pirates, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings in Cincinnati’s 2-1 win. Martinez, who was moved to the bullpen after Cincinnati acquired starter Zack Littell at the trade deadline, was moved back to the starting rotation after Nick Lodolo landing on the injured list with a blister on his middle left finger.
Martinez is facing Milwaukee for the second time this season, allowing three runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings on April 4 and taking the loss in a 3-2 loss to the Brewers.
The Brewers are expected to start their rookie All-Star sensation Jacob Misiorowski, making his first start of the injured list from a leg injury. The Reds could be getting a break as he is expected to be on a innings limit.
Facing the Brewers – and for the rest of the season for that matter – the Reds could use all the breaks they can get.
