DEVELOPING: Cincinnati Reds CONTROL THEIR DESTINY After Four-Game SWEEP of Chicago Cubs

DEVELOPING: Cincinnati Reds CONTROL THEIR DESTINY After Four-Game SWEEP of Chicago Cubs

The Cincinnati Reds have pulled off the improbable. A four game sweep of the Chicago Cubs. Now find your red legs in the final wildcard position with six games to go. We’re going to talk about how they got here and where they’re going on today’s Locked on Reds. [Music] You are Locked on Reds, your daily Cincinnati Reds podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. Welcome into the Cincinnati Red’s number one daily podcast, the Lockdown Reds podcast. My name is Jeff Gar. His name is Steve Oenger. We are lifelong Cincinnati Reds fans. Been suffering with this team all through this crazy roller coaster season. And we could not be more fired up for the fact that they are in the driver’s seat for the final wildcard spot in the National League after a 4game mopping of the Chicago Cubs. That series, that season series for the Cincinnati Reds has owned, as they have now beaten the Chicago Cubs more times this season than the Chicago Cubs have beat them. Pretty sweet. Pretty sweet. This has led to the Reds owning their own destiny. We’re going to talk about how we got here cuz quite frankly, we were talking about how they were dead just a few days ago and here we are and they’re alive and they’re taking control of everything in their lives. We’re going to talk about why we think this can be sustainable. We’re going to talk about the pitfalls ahead all on today’s Locked On Reds podcast that is brought to you by 5Hour Energy with enough with boring flavorless caffeine. It’s time to give your caffeine a flavor upgrade with 5Hour Energy shots. Go to www.iveour fiveenergy.com today or Amazon today as well. But Steve, we’re fired up because the Cincinnati Red just won four in a row. They tied their season series or the season winning streak because they won the last game of that St. Louis Cardinal series. So that’s five in a row. They win one more. They’re going to break their record for most wins in a row this season up to six games. I know that’s like whoa, dude. But at the same time, the way that they’re playing right now, they are answering all of our doubts because they are here in the final wild card spot with the tiebreaker that they own over those New York Metropolitans. You know, here’s the thing, Jeff. They got hot at exactly the right time. We’ve been waiting for this. We’ve been waiting for them to go on a run that didn’t meet our expectations in the most frustrating way possible, but instead exceeded our expectations. And that’s what they went out and did. They went out and won a 4game series. They went out and swept a fourgame series against the Chicago Cubs. A series they absolutely had to have at a time they absolutely had to have it. Now there’s going to be the poo pooers, the naysayers, the Debbie Downers out there that want to talk about, well, it’s because, you know, it’s still just because the Mets are are just falling apart. Is I don’t care. I don’t care why it’s happening. It’s happening. Uh you and I both pretty much called it. We decided things were done. We didn’t think this team had this in them. We didn’t even ask them to do this. When we talked about this last week, Jeff, we said, “Please, God, just go out there and win three or four. Win the series. You’ve got to win the series. Please, just do that. A split wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but don’t do that. Win the series.” They went out there and swept them, Jeff. Two one to nothing ball games. They won two one to nothing ball games in this series. They hit lots of home runs. You know, despite Barry Larkin being scared of the rallies being killed, the Reds hit the home runs and they won the games. It was a great weekend of baseball out of GAP. There there are a couple of different reasons that we’re going to unpack as to why the Reds are where they are. I think there’s multiple different reasons. I think that, you know, Ellie de la Cruz really starting to turn around, maybe get a second wind this season is a big deal. I think that the reemergence of Spencer Steer is a clutch bat. Something that we talked about he was not doing. He turned right. He listened and and and he took that personally and that’s exactly what he did this weekend. And but honestly, the power for me is huge. But before we really dive into those power numbers for this series, we got to talk about the fact you’re playing clean baseball. Steve, there was clean baseball this weekend by this team. Whether it be on the bases, whether it be defensively. Now, I know there was a moment where Noel Vie Marte ran into Matt Mlan there on Sunday, but Matt Mlan was able to hold on to the ball. But we did not see the egregious unforced self-inflictions that this team has given itself so many different times this season and has sunk any hopes, you know, at the time that they had, but now they’re all the way back and they’re in the driver’s seat because of that clean baseball. I want to circle back to something you just said talking about Spencer Steer and and finding the power and finding the groove. This is the Spencer Steer we would all been waiting for. This is the Spencer Steer we had hoped he would be from opening day. Obviously, the shoulder got in the way. A lot of things derailed him, but this is the guy we thought he was going to be, who is now, very quietly, without a lot of press, without any fanfare, without anybody even really noticing, is leading this Cincinnati Reds teams in home runs with 21. He’s ahead of Ellie by one. Um, and if those two want to play a game of back and forth the rest of the way, that would be beautiful. This is exactly what they needed when they needed it. Ellie has found his swing seemingly. He’s stealing more bases uh in the last month, you know, in the last two weeks rather than he had the previous month. So Ellie starting to win. He found his swing. Spencer Steer’s hitting for power. Matt Mlan looks comfortable. Everything’s coming together right on time. Well, and and and when you talk about Ellie, like I was kind of getting to the point that for the rest of this season, I was just, all right, they’re not going to give him a day off. They’re going to make him play every day. They move him down the lineup, whatever. I just want to see him break the homer streak. I just want to see that happen. And I was there on Friday when he broke that homerless streak going oppo taco, hitting lefty, going to left field. Love to see how that happened. And in that game where they hit five home runs, not something they’ve done yet all year, by the way, the most homers they’ve hit in one game, I just saw a different guy. It seemed as though the moment he hit that home run, he exhaled and he he he untensed his shoulders because we’ve seen a guy that’s really been pressing at the plate. And I mean, he went through his career his his worst career drought in home runs in 43 games in a row, but he finally broke that looked like he was having some better at bats the rest of this weekend. And I think that is kind of the thing like Steve, this team has chose the absolute last minute to get as hot as you can get. But you know what? Everybody always says it’s not if you get hot, it’s when you get hot. And the Reds are picking the right time to be doing that right now. And Ellie is the first reason why. Yeah. You can look at his stat line. Just look at the slash, Jeff. You know, two weeks ago, you take two weeks of games, his slash line was 200, 322, 320. And you cut that in half and you take his slash line for the last week. His slash line in this last week, Jeff, is 263 462 526. Um, big big difference in production between two weeks ago and now. I just think he’s a better hitter when you tell him that, you know, we just need you to get on base and be the catalyst. Be the guy that that starts the run scoring. Don’t be the guy that leads the run score. That’s that that’s confusing sounding, but don’t be the RBI guy. Be the run scoring guy. And I think that’s who he needs to be the rest of his career. And we’re seeing him excel. But back to your point on Spencer Steer. Like dude looks different right now. And you’re right, like the shoulder was such a factor early on. doesn’t look like it’s a factor at all now. And then there’s clutch moments that he is coming up and he is delivering and that’s what this team needs. They don’t have that consistent clutch guy. There’s there’s guys here and there, but it’s not every time they come to the plate you can cons you can, you know, expect that. I I feel like Spencer Steer is getting back into that position and that is going to be so key for them. He he is Jeeoff uh you want some fun numbers, a little a little sexy numbers here. Spencer Steer in the last 15 games. 310 383 619 in the last two. 619. I like that. Yeah. 619. Four home runs in the last 15 games. His swing is right right now. Spencer Steer is dialed in. Yeah. And this is this is the best time to do it. I know we’re we’re going to talk a lot more about the Pirates tomorrow. We’re really focused on this four game sweep that the Reds just have. MPY four-game mop of the Reds over the Cubs and where it’s put them in this playoff race. The fact that the Washington Nationals, Steve, win two out of three over the New York Metropolitans. Jacob Young, I just want to just Jacob Young. Someone should be sending Jacob Young a gift basket. I the Cincinnat should be doing something. If you listen, if you didn’t see these catches, if you’re listening and you have not seen Jacob Young’s catches in yesterday’s Mets Nationals game, get on social media, get online and go check them out because his first catch was a crazy hacky sack catch where he drops a ball, kicks it back up into the air, and then scoops it. And then his second catch in the ninth inning prevented a Mets comeback is exactly what it did. The Mets were about to tie the game and Jacob Young goes and pulls a home run back and gets the Nationals the second win of the series. Um Jacob Young single-handedly helped propel the Reds into a wild card spot um yesterday. I I really feel like there’s just something about this Mets team that they they just can’t seem to get over it and I don’t understand it. I I think I saw an article in The Athletic a week or so ago from um um I forget who wrote it now, but I saw the article in the Athletic and it was all about the fact that the locker room is kind of not in disarray, but it’s a tense place right now for the New York Mets. And that’s just awful. I hate it for him. Terrible. Aren’t you sad for them? But listen, Jeff, there there are lots more things to talk about about the Reds pulling off this sweep, about them getting into the wild card spot, about what’s coming up, what they’ve got to do. We got lots more things. We got more things to talk about, especially the pitching. We’re going to do that coming up next. This episode is brought to you by Zipix Toothpicks. Whether you’re looking for nicotine satisfaction or an energy boost, Zipix has you covered with their nicotine and caffeine infused toothpicks. These things are great. I have got the watermelon peppermint one right here for energy boost. 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You don’t want to miss anything we’ve got coming your way as the Reds chase the postseason. That’s right. I said it in late September. The Cincinnati Reds are chasing the postseason. Make sure you’re subscribed because we are going to be on fire the rest of the way. All right, Jeeoff, let’s get back into this because I tell you what, uh, on top of timely hitting and a home run barrage, I mentioned earlier the Reds won not one but two games, one to nothing. And that is not Cincinnati Reds baseball, at least not lately. Hunter Green, of course, goes out and pitches the shutout complete game where he was just absolutely the man, the ace, reminding everybody in baseball exactly who he is. But then they go out and do it again to complete the sweep in much less a dominant way from the starting pitching because Andrew Abbott was really a little struggly at times, but the bullpin had his back. Everybody came in and got their job done. It wasn’t without some interesting things along the way, but when they had to bear down and shut down that Cubs lineup, they did. They got the job done. They completed the sweep. We are talking about a Cubs lineup that has put together a better run differential than the Dodgers. The Cubs have a better run differential than the Dodgers. So, the the fact that they have been that good all year long and that the Reds were able to shut him out and they did it in two different ways, Steve. I mean, Hunter Green is much more fresh than everybody else in this pitching staff because of his time spent on the injured list. So, I love to see that he was able to do that. I mean, he was seven pitches, well, eight pitches away from a Maddox, a complete game shut out with less than 100 pitches. That’s how efficient he was. We’re talking about Hunter Green that early on in his career threw 107 pitches in five innings, let alone nine. And so we’re seeing the growth when he’s been healthy this year. But outside of that, the way that they were able to win on Sunday was far different because they’re relying on tired arms. Andrew Rabbit looked tired. Andrew Rabbit looked like he’s gotten to that point in the season where it’s like, “Oh boy, boys, let’s see what we we got. We’ll give you what I have.” And I’m not sure how much that is. And credit to Tito for noticing that. Credit to Tito for being ready the moment that he thought it was done and not saying, you know what, let’s get him through five. Let’s get him the win. Let’s get him, you know, through six or whatever it might be. He was like, no, we’re pulling the trigger right now. Nick Martinez coming in with some very admirable pitching. And and Cra Ashcraft honestly looks really good right now. His last couple of appearances here against the Cubbies, I think, have totaled like 17 pitches for two innings. I mean, he’s been fantastically efficient, but for me, I just want to give Tony Santion a big time shout out three straight days. And I get it. He walked a couple of people and people hate it when relief pitchers coming out to bullpen and walk people. I’m one of the top on that list, but he was able to pitch all around that because his stuff is still dominant despite the fact that he has worked so many games and he’s worked three games in a row now. So going into this off day, he he still told Tito, credit to him, I’m available. If you need me, I got it. He comes in, get the gritty save. One- nothing. I just I cannot believe how this pitching staff really gritted their way through Sunday’s ball game. Yeah. Yeah. Graham Ashcraft looked good. Tony Santon looked good. Uh I I liked what I saw from this bullpen, even with the walks and for the reasons that you suggested. I want to circle back to you talking about Tito for a minute because listen, we have been we we’ve called out some of the stuff that Tito has done along the way and some of the things he’s done this season that we didn’t necessarily agree with and we’ve never said he was on a hot seat or called for him to be gone, but we have called him out when he needed to be called out. Over the last week, his style has changed and I think Terry Francona is in postseason mode. He is managing this team right now like these are playoff series because essentially they are. And it has turned into the Reds playing their best baseball of the year. And I kind of wish it was like this all along, but I’m happy that it’s happening right now. But to your point, I had sent to our group chat. Um we have a locked on group chat folks with me, Jeff, and and Tim Daniel. And I had sent a text that had just said, “I don’t know that I would let Andrew Rabbit go back out there and pitch the fifth.” And sure enough, they let him, but had somebody warming up already. That’s different than how things have been run. That’s different than how they do things in a regular season mindset. So, I hats off to Terry for for a really effective job of managing this team over the last week and getting them scratching and clawing back into playoff contention. Well, and even on top of how he’s managing the pitching staff, and I I I wish I had clipped it before mentioning it, but what he said about Tyler Stevenson’s home run on Saturday night, you know, somebody asked him, you know, what was that at bat like? And he said, well, you know, Tyler came up to me before the at bat and said, if if uh and I’m blanking on it, but if if he walks in front of me, do you want me to bunt? And I and Tito said, I looked at him. I said, no, I want you to deposit it into the third row. And that’s exactly what he did. And I I I think that he has turned a corner like you mentioned. He he sees the vision of what’s coming next. And while we have belabored different points about this and that, we’ve not loved some of the things that he has done managerially, he is starting to prove that he’s adding on to the wins. I mean, we already have two more wins than we saw last year and the R and the season ain’t done yet. They got a chance here, Steve, if they win out to get 85 wins. And And I said they’d be like an 84 win ball club. I’m sorry, 86 wins. I said they’d be like an 84 win ball club. So to kind of stretch it up like that, 85 86 wins. That’s definitely his effect because as we have mentioned, this roster is still the same roster that we had problems with. It’s just they’re starting to perform above their heads. And if they can keep doing that from now through whatever playoff run they have, then this could be a lot more fun than just we made it on into the wild card. Gosh darn, they might see a little bit more of October. They might come home for a game or two in October. See that? Well, that would be fun. Oh, I I I paid my deposit already for postseason tickets. So, let’s see what happens. I will say this about Terry Francon and Jeff. Um, you know, we talk about all the time what what true impacts can a manager have? Like, you know, they’re not out there taking at bats. They’re not out there throwing pitches. What difference does it really make? Does it really matter a whole lot? These are the situations where it matters a whole lot. Right now, the Reds have a seasoned veteran manager who has seen a lot and done a lot and had a lot of success. And this is the time where that type of manager can pick this team up and say, “All right, boys. We’re here now. This is what we’ve got to do to finish the job. This is what we’ve got to do to get to that postseason. This is what we’ve got to do to win a postseason series for the first time in a lot of people listening to this show’s lifetime. So that’s that’s the difference that Franka can have. We’ve talked about it all year long. What what real difference does it matter? It matters right now. It matters big time right now because because Andrew Abbott like thinking of this like there is a thought process that there could have been of like well you know if we let him push through it this is the furthest he’s ever pitched into a season this might really help him like personal career growth and all this other stuff and Terry Fran is like bump all that we’re trying to win this ball game and this is how we’re going to go do it and I’m with you it it was a fantastic change in how he has managed this ball club and I think that that is a key moving forward because we’re seeing some different things out of some different guys. So, what are we worried about? What’s the pitfalls here? How how does this go wrong? As much as we don’t want to admit it, as much as we don’t want to talk about it, there’s definitely some things to be worried about. We’ll talk about that next. You’ve probably seen a million ads for hair growth products and thought, “Sure, like that actually works.” There’s so many products out there and it’s hard to know which ones are actually going to do anything. That’s why you need to give Neutrifll a closer look. Neutrifll is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people. And it’s not just hype. This is a supplement that is clinically tested that targets the root causes of thinning and shedding with a proactive approach. I love this stuff. I’ve actually been using it for a little bit while I mean I’ve got the genes that say it’s probably something I need to be worried about. Neutrifll helps me be less worried about that. 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They’ll keep you up on the league each and every day. All right, Steve. So, with all of this excitement, there are still six games left and we’re going into three games at home against the Pirates. And on paper, that’s a good thing, but the Reds have not looked good in situations on paper this year. Now, they have been six and four against the Pirates so far in this season, but they really need two out of three. Honestly, I I’d argue and and they’re facing Paul Skins in game two, so it’s really hard for me to say they should get a sweep. But when you look at all of this and they’re going to have to take it each and every day, I think my biggest worry is one of my biggest reasons that I was happy on Sunday and that is the fatigue of this bullpen because we’ve come to the point in the season where everybody’s just being used so much. Yeah, I I’m less worried about that. I think the adrenaline is going to take over for these guys in the bullpin right now. this is meaningful baseball in the last week of the season. Um, if if they can’t dig dig deep with that, that there’s nothing that’s going to make them dig deep. Here’s what I’m concerned about. You know, we talk about the things we’re worried about. Seen a lot of difference in this team over the last week from managing to how they’re performing to the things they’re doing to the results. Lots of difference. The next evolution of that, the next thing I need to see is I need them to go out and win this Pittsburgh Pirate Series. Because in the past, earlier this season, they would beat a team and we would be like, “Yeah, here they go.” And then they would play the Chicago White Socks and lose the series. And they would beat a team and we’d be like, “Yeah, here they go.” And then they lose a series to the Washington Nationals. That’s been their mo. So, if they’ve truly turned this corner, they go out and win two of three from the Pittsburgh Pirates. And you’re right, they’re going up against Sk. I can’t wait to talk about that game. Spoiler alert, folks. It’s Paul Ske against Hunter Green in meaningful baseball the final week of the season. I cannot wait to talk about that game. But that’s my concern. That’s really the next thing I need to see from this team, Jeff. That’s really the next thing that’ll make me if they go out and win this Pirate Series, I’m kind of going to be a believer. I I’m going to be they have turned a corner believer. And and maybe that’s the overarching worry, right? Is it’s not even necessarily just the Pirates. It’s the fact that they’ve done this too many times where it feels as though they get to a successful quote unquote point of the season and they’re like, “Job’s done. Job’s not done. You got six games left.” And as much as we are excited and losing our minds and I’m yelling into cameras and all this other stuff, it’s fun for us to be able to do that. the players can’t be doing that right now cuz there’s still too many games left to the point that I think four and two is the baseline because as much as the the Mets have really been collapsing here recently I just don’t know that you can continue to expect that like there’s a really good chance the Mets go 4-2 there’s a really good chance they do beat the Cubs and then they beat the the the Marlins two out of three and then they you know four and two so the Reds have to at worst match what the Mets do the rest of the year. That’s going to be the big thing with this is that they cannot get it outside of themselves. And I go back to the value of Terry Franona with this because I feel like that is the reason that at every point this year that we have thought that they are done, they weren’t and it’s because of Terry Franona. It’s that intangible thing that there is no statistic, there is no analytic, there is no thing that measures it, but it feels as though Tito is the right guy to pull them out of the mental pretzel that they can twist themselves into with success and with failure. Yeah, I I think uh a couple things on that. I love love love that the Mets now have to go play a really pissed off Chicago Cubs team. Like the Cubs are angry. They’re very unhappy right now. I I love that for us. Um I love that for the Cubs. Uh and then they catch the the Brewers in the final game of the series where the Brewers have nothing to play for. Their position is locked up. Their playoff is secured. Uh I think they’re going to rest people. They’re going to they’re going to try and set up their pitching to benefit them in the postseason. I I like where the Reds are catching this. So four and two is the absolute floor. They could lose one of the Pittsburgh games and I guess they could lose one of the Brewers games and everything will work out. If the Cubs do a thing for us, we could go into that Brewer series where it not doesn’t matter a whole lot other than you just got to go out there and play well. And that’s what I’m hoping for. I hope we get to this Brewer series and things have kind of been decided. That would be great. Yeah, because I’m seeing things like reports on the Brewers that they’re like, well, they they think they’re going to put Jacob Mizowski in the bullpen or something like that. I do find that kind of intriguing though, Steve, because I felt like the Brewers had the plan in place for Jacob Miserowski to finish the year out however they wanted him to finish the year out. And I thought that the Reds were behind with Chase Burns on doing the same thing. Now, it looks completely the opposite. It looks like the Reds knew what they were doing all along and the Brewers are the ones that are like, “Wait, Reds, how’d you guys do that again? How can I can I copy off that test?” And so that’s fun to see, but at the same time, like the Reds got to go out there and they got to do the thing. That’s three more home games. They’ve got 640, 640, 1240, that that final home game, that Thursday day game. I think didn’t we mention that’s uh Lollo against Braxton Ashcraft, right? An interesting matchup uh there. And then the Milwaukee series, like how do the Reds do this? Because on Wednesday, you’ve got Hunter Green. You could see him pitch on Sunday or do you save him for that wild card game? Like that’s going to be the fun one for me because if they win the first two, they can play with house money in the final game of the season. And that and some of that depends on what happens in this Mets Cub series, Jeff. I mean, if there’s some breathing room, you do save Hunter Green. If there’s not clear-cut breathing room, you have to pitch him the final game of the season. You just absolutely have to. We just we keep looking at this and the fact that the Reds have this starting pitching staff that they do and they get into a wildcard series a week. You got to win two out of three. Man, I love the Red’s chances and I know who they will be facing. You know who that’s going to be, Steve? The Los Angeles Dodgers. And I still have every belief in this pitching staff to get the thing done against the Dodgers in the wild card. You just got to get there. And these next six games, man, these are the biggest six games that we’ve had as a podcast. And I am so excited. I am I am jumping for joy. Just as we close out today, uh if you guys didn’t catch it for funsies, jump in the locked on YouTube channel, go to the shorts section and you not only will you get to see Jeff’s best impression of a WWE promoter as he was just immediately after the final out of the game, losing his mind. But then we get a special guest appearance from Greg Carr, father of Jeff Carr, with his own live on the spot game report from Great American Ballpark. In fact, I bet the I bet the party is still going down by the ballpark. Let’s check in with Greg Carr. [Music] Sorry, I thought I was timing that with you, but yeah, party still going on. One more time. Great car. I think I think the excitement apple didn’t fall very far from the tree there, Jeff. Absolutely not. And that is where we’re going to end today’s podcast. Thank you so much for checking out today’s Lockdown Reds podcast. Make sure you are subscribed. you don’t miss anything. Make lockdown reds part of your everyday routine cuz we’re going to be with you all throughout the rest of this week, all throughout hopefully a postseason run all throughout the off seasonason as they get set to be division contenders next year, not just wild card contenders. Man, we’re getting ahead of ourselves because I’m real happy about where the Reds are right now on this September 21st, 2025 because the Reds are in a wildcard spot. We’ll see you guys tomorrow because you know we are locked on reds every single day. Not far from the tree at all. Oh my gosh. So happy.

The Cincinnati Reds’ four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs propels them into wild card contention. Spencer Steer’s clutch hitting and Elly De La Cruz’s resurgence spark offensive firepower. Hunter Greene’s complete game shutout highlights improved pitching. Jeff Carr and Steve Offenbaker analyze Terry Francona’s postseason-style management and dissect upcoming matchups against the Pirates and Brewers. Will the Reds secure their playoff spot? Get the full scoop on Cincinnati’s thrilling playoff push – listen now!

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