BOMBSHELL: Cincinnati Reds SURGE Back into Wild Card Race | Can They SHOCK the Baseball World?

BOMBSHELL: Cincinnati Reds SURGE Back into Wild Card Race | Can They SHOCK the Baseball World?

Just when we were out on the Cincinnati Red’s playoffs, they sucked us back in. The Cincinnati Reds decided to quote the great Lee Corso and say, “Not so fast, my friend. We’re talking Red’s playoff possibilities 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 in to the Locked On Reds podcast. My name is Jeff, his name is Steve, and we are lifelong Cincinnati Reds fans. We’ve been podcasting about this team for a combined 14 seasons, and we’re glad that you’re alongside us here today. Locked on Reds is part of the Locked On Network. We are your team, your Reds, every single day. And on today’s podcast, the Reds have another must-win series. They’re all must win at this point, but a must-win series in Sacramento. Yeah, we said it. Sacramento against the Sacramento A’s. We’ll tell you why they match up well, which is always a bad thing when it comes to this Reds team. We’ll tell you why they match up well coming up later on today’s podcast. In a few minutes, we’re going to answer whether or not Tony Santion is the closer for your 2026 Cincinnati Reds based on his performances this year and look at some other bullpen happenings and going on goings on as Chase Burns returns to the pin. But we’ll begin with the high hopes that the Reds are giving us once again because we can’t quit them because they won’t let us quit them because they keep on hanging on. And that’s on today’s Lockdown Reds podcast that is brought to you by 5H hour energy. Enter for a chance to win a dream golf trip for two to any golf tournament in the USA. Visit 5hin.com for rules and entry. No purchase necessary. Excludes the Masters tournament. Ends August October 31st, 2025. All right, Steve, we’re back, baby. I mean that they kind of left. They never left. They didn’t leave. They’re not in it yet, but they’re like that that that guy in the race that’s getting real close and you can see them overtaking the New York Mets are only two games back. You know, it’s like every great meme that we love applies to what’s going on with the Cincinnati Reds right now. You can go go tell the others we’re back up, baby. Uh they when we were out, they pulled us back in. You know, it’s it’s one of those things where, you know, Tim and I when you were away on vacation, you know, sipping mimosas or whatever it was you were doing, um, we pronounced this season over. We called it. We gave last rights on the Reds playoff possibilities. And I think, you know, in typical locked on Reds fashion, you know, we said a thing, so they went and did the opposite of it. And and they’re right back in it. As we record right now, they are two and a half games back. Uh, the Mets have not played today as we’re recording. So, the Reds could enter this series with the A’s either a game and a half to two and a half back. And you’re absolutely right. This is for the Reds. Every series moving forward from right now, they are in the playoffs already. This is playoff baseball for these Cincinnati Reds. And they they they find themselves in a in a series where the pitching matchups favor them. The opportunity to overtake take the Mets favor them because of what the Mets have going on. Uh, you know, they’re the Phillies have pretty beat up on them and they’re going home to place a s play a super super hot Texas Rangers team that should help the Reds out along the way as well. This this everything’s lining up for this team to to to be on brand for the thing we have described them as all season long, Jeff, which is they’re going to do what we asked them to do and they’ve done it the most frustrating way possible. They’re frustratingly fun. They continue to be that way and they’ve done it the the series win that they got in San Diego was something they haven’t done with regularity this year and they did it in back-to-back nights and that was just hold on. They had a late game comeback. They got a lead but they were on the road so the final at bat went to their opponent and they held on during that final at bat. I I do want to make like specific mention of the performance of Andrew Rabbit though because we’ve been worried about him. His last couple of starts leading into San Diego had been lackluster and we were starting to say, “All right, he’s doing that thing where he just runs out of gas at the end of the year.” Well, if you’re running out of gas at the end of the year, how do you describe eight innings of oneun ball? That was a beautiful performance by him. And it wasn’t perfect. He had base runners on multiple different times. He was gave up a home run, was working around trouble, but he never seemed to waver and he did it in a pitch efficient fashion. I mean, he entered the eighth inning with only 88 pitches. There was a key that I was like, he has to pitch the eighth. And there was part of me that wondered if they brought him back out for the ninth, but obviously Terry Franon made the right decision because Tony Santion did that thing. And we’re going to talk about him a lot more here in a little bit. But I was really happy with that pitching performance from Andrew Abbott being able to hang on when he got no run support from his team for pretty much the entire game. Yeah, you know, he was looking like Andrew Abbott the end of last season where his legs were gone. He was tired and you could just tell he didn’t really have it anymore. Uh and he definitely gutted out that start at a time where the Reds really, really needed him to do it. That’s exactly what this Red’s bullpen needed. That’s exactly what this rotation needed. Uh, and it got it really put the Reds in a position to win. And I want to shout out my guy Ty Steve coming back into this lineup if not for a absolutely unbelievable Fernando Tatis catch. He has two home runs in that game. I mean, he is absolutely unloading on the baseball out in San Diego. That’s not necessarily profiling as a power hitters park. Petco doesn’t, you know, scream great American ballpark vibes. um you have to work at it a little bit out there in San Diego and Ty Steve was just absolutely ripping the ball and what better time for him to come back healthy and add some pop to this lineup. Now, you know, Tyler Stevenson is not going to be a 40 home run guy this year, but he is in a position to hit a few bombs and put a lot of long gap doubles out there and help drive this Red’s offense. I think it’s the perfect time to get Tai Steve back in this lineup and help kind of drive the engine. Who was it there? There’s an everydayer that’s been keeping track of it since you made that prediction that he’s almost up to 40 since you made the prediction a couple years. I think he crossed it. I think he’s crossed it. Did he cross it? Okay, he crossed. So, you know, you just you mentioned that it was that season. It’s just, you know, it took him a little bit longer to get there. Um, no, I’m with you. I was happy seeing him. Even on a game where the Red’s lineup did not provide the kind of run support that you were hoping they would for Andrew Abbott, they still got the runs that they needed in the eighth inning thanks to some clutch hitting, some good at bats, long at bats from TJ Fredel, Ellie Dela Cruz coming up with a clutch hit and then coming around to score. I I I love the way that they were able to grit out that win. And that’s where the hope comes from, right? The grit of this team. I don’t think that’s ever been questioned this season. We’ve never really watched a game and been like, boy, they just didn’t care about that one game. Now, there’s been games where they’ve been overmatched. There’s been games where they’ve shot themselves in the foot, but that’s not been for lack of fight. They’ve had fight all year long. And if they can com if they can combine clean baseball with the fight that they have, they’ve really got a shot in this. And that’s why they are so frustratingly fun is because they’re fun with their ability to win and play the play the game of baseball. They’re frustrating because they tend to be their worst enemy at most of the time. And and for anybody that is a naysayer right now, I don’t have a great argument as to why you should stop being negative about this team. But there’s plenty of reasons to remain optimistic that with two games back of the wild card and 16 to play and the remaining schedule for this Red’s team and considering some of the situations they’re about to head into, man. This could be this could happen. This could happen. I I I think you’re right. It’s very interesting that if you’re in right now on the Red’s playoff possibilities, if you’re out right now on the Reds playoff possibilities, it’s really hard to have an argument to win over the other side. Like all of the reasons to be in on this team are really good reasons and all of the reasons to be out on this team are really good reasons. So, you know what I hope is that they take these next two series, go four and two, five and one, and then everybody’s on board with a Red’s playoff chase. One more thing from that g that series out in San Diego. Jeff, I don’t know if you saw this, but did you see the overhead angle of TJ Fidel’s slide into home plate? It is. It’s just a thing of beauty. It is one of the prettiest plays of the year, you know. It just it could not have been better. It should be, you know, hang it up in the Lou, get a picture of it. It was baseball perfection. And I think there was part of that that was him acknowledging like I I’m making up for that catch that I didn’t make the other night. And and we criticized him for not making that catch. But to be honest with you, he had an amazing series at the plate. He had a home run. He had multiple hits. He was on base tons of times. And he continues to be I think uh I think it’s third in all of Major League Baseball as far as leadoff hitters getting on base. The number of times they’ve done that. It’s show Otani. It’s um dude from uh Arizona, Purdomo, and it’s him. The the the three guys in the major leagues as far as getting on base, and I’m very happy to see that he just continues to be that that consistent dude for the guy for for the Reds. They’re at the top of the lineup. Yeah, he’s a reason to be excited. Everything we’ve talked about are reasons to be excited. You know, another reason to be excited, Jeff, is what Tony Santion has been doing lately. He came into this game in the ninth inning, nailed it down after giving up a double and brought the energy to the ninth inning. And it makes us wonder, is Tony Santion auditioning already to be the closer for the Reds in 2026? We’re going to talk about that coming up next. Time to fuel up and turn it up with 5Hour Energy Transfusion. This grape, ginger, and lime flavored chhat brings the iconic taste of the golf course to a non-alcoholic boost. It’s perfect for sinking birdies or making great memories with friends. It’s a wholein-one for your energy game. Whether you’re out on the course and just need a little extra push to power through your day, or you’re in the office, 5-hour energy transfusion delivers the clubhouse flavor you love without the need to leave the green or chase the bevart. Golf is all about good times with great people and great flavors. 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And they got David Peterson going on the mound against Jesus Cazardo for the Phillies. Phillies are actually favored in this. I know there’s a lot of like really difficult fourame series to sweep, but the Phillies are on deck with it right now. And the Phillies are at minus 130 on the money line. Think I’m going to sprinkle on that. See if the Reds can get to one and a half games back of the wild card. Take the Phillies minus130 over on FanDuel. And for your first winning $5 bet, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets. Head on over to FanDuel right now. Make sure you click that subscribe button. Make sure you click that notification bell. That way you get all of the great Reds content we’ve got coming your way. You get Jeff and I five days a week here on the Locked on Reds podcast. You’re going to get Tim Daniel after each and every Red’s game. Whether it starts at midnight Eastern time or not, he will be there live with a Reds postcast. So make sure you click those buttons right now. You’re going to get everything we got coming your way and any other surprises we drop in along the way as well. All right, Jeeoff, let’s get back into this because Tony Santon has been good all year long. Um he’s been good in a lot more games I think than we would have liked to have seen him pitched thus far. Um but he’s he’s rising to the occasion. He’s he’s making the most of these opportunities. And with Amelio Pagan being a free agent at the end of the year, it makes us wonder a little bit now, is he kind of auditioning as we get to the end of the year to be the closer of this team in 2026? There’s a lot of different factors that go into this because I don’t think Alio Pagan returns. He’s going to garner way too much money in free agency. And I I I wonder a little bit about how much the Reds will commit to a top- end bullpen arm. Well, cuz cuz Nick Crawl to this point in his tenure heading up this front office has always favored quantity over quality. We we’ve not seen him go for that big time dude at any position. So, I wonder a little bit if the Reds go for a guy that pushes Tony Santion out of the closer role. That’s where I start with this. The other part of this is has he earned it? And I think it’s unequivocally yes. He has had an amazing season. I mean, the 72 appearances lead Major League Baseball. Nobody else has pitched more games than Tony Santon has. And during that time frame, he’s been phenomenal. His whip is just 1.1. and you would like to see it be t a little bit lower, but that’s barely a base runner per inning. And on top of that, he’s averaging a strikeout per inning. So for everybody gets on base, he gets a strikeout. And he’s been that kind of guy that you bring him in in a spot where you’re like, man, are are we really going to be able to get out of this jam? When you look at his his ability to pitch with like inherited runners on base, he has been very limiting in that aspect as well. I’ve been I’ve been happy with everything that Tony Santon has put out there. Got that great t-shirt from from Cincy shirt. I was going to wear it today, but it’s in the laundry, so that’s not going to happen. Uh, but I I’ve loved everything that Tony Santon’s been doing this year. Yeah, I agree with you completely that he’s earned the the right to kind of ascend to that role. Um, I think the other questions and what Nick Crawl will do are going to be based on a couple things. Is Graham Ashcraft back this year? And can he show something? Can he show that he can be the new Tony Santon? Can he be the eighth inning guy? Um, can Zack Maxwell continue to develop and maybe press for that the eighth inning role or be a seventh inning guy? What I think’s likely from Nick Crawl in the offseason, Jeff, is to repeat what they did with Ailio Pagan. go and find a guy that maybe closed at one point in time along the way that hasn’t done it in a few years but has shown some potential and you bring that guy in to be your new eighth inning guy. Now you’ve got Ashcraft and Maxwell as your seventh inning interchangeable parts. You’ve got this new guy for the eighth. You’ve got Santion for the ninth and that’s a pretty good cluster of back end of the bullpen arms. And then you’ve got your B-group. The B-group that we keep talking about the the holdovers that you keep around plus maybe anybody else new that you bring in. But for a big splash, a big save closer guy arm. Yeah, they’re not gonna go get that guy. They’re gonna go look for They’re gonna go look for a project. I I wonder too, and I don’t know that he pushes him out of the closer role, but I wonder if the Reds bring back Scott Barlo because I would be in favor of that. They got him on a $2.5 million deal this year, and he’s had a pretty good season, so I think that they could probably bring him back and give you some bullpen depth. that’s likely going to be the play for Nick Crawl. I think there’s a secondary question on top of all of this. Is that based on our expectation and what the mantra that we are going to set forth for the Reds off seasonason is the Reds need to answer questions. I don’t know and and I got to see who’s available. I don’t know that I feel super strongly that Tony Santion is an absolute answer to the question of closer based on this year. I would love to say yes, but I don’t think he’s been given enough of like the save opportunities in the ninth inning spots. as as anyone will tell you, look, analytics people will absolutely deny that this has any power and Jeff Brantley and guys who have done the thing will tell you that they’re dead wrong and the ninth inning is just different and you need a ninth inning guy. And so that’s the part of me that gives pause to saying that I would be happy if the Reds just rode into next year knowing that Tony Santon is the guy. I think he’s the guy. if you look around the room right now. Um, and then the question is, do they go get somebody else? I don’t think they do. I think again they follow the Amelio Pagan rule or or or roll and try and find somebody that maybe they get lucky. Um, you look at that ninth inning stuff, you look at what Canton’s done. I you know, I I don’t think Barlo challenges for that role, but I’m with you. I would not mind at all if they brought him back and and and kept him around because he’s been really really valuable. The Reds find themselves in an interesting spot, Jeff, because when we were ready to kind of talk about the 0.5% playoff chances and really kind of call it, we were saying, “Okay, play the young guys, see what you got, figure out who can do what.” Well, now it’s a little bit of a different story because now you’re trying to win games. Now you have a legitimate shot to get this final wild card spot. So, the amount of experimentation you can do, I think, is greatly reduced. Now, um, add to that, Chase Burns is coming back into this bullpin. We we hear from the Reds, he’s going to be activated, uh, Friday. So, as you’re watching this Thursday, Friday, Chase Burns is to be activated. He’s going into the bullpin on a modified role. They’re going to be really careful with him, but they are going to use him out of the pin. That takes away some opportunities to experiment. Um, Graham Ashcraft may or may not make it back before the end of the season. that will change the amount of available opportunities and the amount you can experiment. So I think now I think Fran Kona is switching into his September October mindset where it’s about the individual game. It’s about winning this game right now in front of me with the best player that I have available not necessarily trying to try out guys in new positions. I don’t know that that changes things though. I think that he is figuring out that South Stewart’s one of the best options he has in the lineup. And I think that he should know by this point there is a measure of trust you can give to Zack Maxwell and Connor Phillips. And I think there will be some measure of trust you can give to Chase Burns. What’s likely to happen? They said there’s a modified plan, which I don’t think that means we’re seeing Chase Burns on backto-back days. Nope. And I also don’t think we’re seeing Chase Burns for just three outs. I think he’s coming in for two innings at least. Yep. And god forbid there’s there’s a game where he has to come in and bail out a starter and he throws three or four innings, but the Reds have that option now. And and with Chase Burns, I think that that has a strategic advantage. Are you describing like maybe um designated piggyback day where he’s just going to be the guy that comes today, he’s pitching today and it’s going to be at least two innings whenever this starter goes out. Like that kind of a role. I could see that. I don’t necessarily know that that means Friday because Brady Singer has shown the ability to go deeper into the ball game. So, I don’t think that that’s something that they’re looking at and saying we’re going to lessen the number of innings that Singer is going to pitch based on the fact that we have Chase Burns available for this. And we’ll talk about the probable starters here in just a minute. But I really I kind of like this. And I also like this from a personal standpoint because we talked about how in college he was sure to transfer from Tennessee to Wake Forest because Tennessee wanted to pitch him more out of the bullpen and he didn’t want to do that. He wanted to be a starter. This shows to me his ability to be like, look, whatever the Reds need me to do to win ball games, I will do that. And I think that this is temporary. He’ll be back in the rotation next year. This is just getting him the innings while also making sure that he is an asset to the team for the rest of the year. Well, him coming out of the bullpen in the postseason would be fun. A lot of fun. Especially if you’re talking about if he’s following up like Lollo and the breaker and you know Lollo’s got a nice fast ball, but he throws from the left side and then here comes Chase Burns throwing 102. That’s going to be a lot of fun. All right, Jeeoff. Well, let’s talk about the Sacramento A’s. I love that. Uh you and I have both kind of secretly hoped that the A’s would be a playoff team and that Manford would have to schedule playoff baseball in Sacramento. Doesn’t look like that’s going to happen, but this is a playoff series. Steve, we’re not allowed to say Sacramento. 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 Neutrifall a closer look. Neutrifall is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people, including myself. Look, I got some bad genes when it comes to hair loss, and I’m combating that with Neutrifo. And it’s not just height. This supplement is clinically tested and targets the root causes of thinning and shedding with a proactive approach. And you can feel good about knowing that Neutrifall is NSF certified and backed by peer-reviewed studies. See thicker, stronger hair with less shedding in just 3 to six months with Neutrifull. For a limited time, Neutrifold is offering Lockdown Red’s listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping when you go to neutrfold.com and enter the promo code locked on MLB. That’s neutrfold.com. Promo code locked on MLB. If you can’t watch us on YouTube, you can always listen to us on your favorite podcast app. We’re on every single one of them out there. Go check us out today. And hey, when you’re done with making locked on reds your first listen today, make your second listen locked on MLB game night. Uh they got every game every night and until the World Series champion is crowned, they’re going to be with you every single night. You get local analysis on a national scale. Find MLB Game Night on Locked on MLB on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts. All right, Steve. Uh playoffs playoff uh series number two. I mean, I guess really the Reds have been like playing some playoff baseball here for a little while at this point, but we really are into crunch time where losses, one more loss is just that much more of a of a of a uh setback. And so, this is playoff series number two for me here in Sacramento uh against the A’s. And the Reds are really set up well in this. And I say that knock on wood. I got all the fingers crossed, you know, trying to trying to save off all of the jinxes and all that stuff. But on paper, the Reds should definitely win two out of three here. Yeah, it’s terrifying because it all lines up in the Red’s favor. And we know how that normally goes. And by the way, I loved your little um Harry Doyle hat tip there at the end of the last segment for for those that caught it. Um listen, Jeff, you’re absolutely right. They they cannot afford to lose any more series along the way. You look at how they match up with the A’s in this series. Uh Hunter Green and Ledo both going in this series. Brady Singer starting it off. I really like the pitching matchups in this series. I like the ability of all three of those pitchers to go deep in games, keep pressure off of the Red’s bullpen, and uh really allow the Reds to to kind of do a thing here. Now, look, I say all the time, I hate to call for a team to get a sweep because sweeps are hard. They’re especially hard on the road, and they’re especially hard in the middle of a long road trip on the West Coast. Um, but you look at all three of these games, these are all three very winnable games for the Cincinnati Reds. The the way that the lineup has been hitting right now, the way that these pitchers should perform against this Oakland lineup. Oakland, I did it. See, I got to put a I got to put a dollar in the jar against this a lineup. Um, this really does favor the Reds in this series. The the lineup’s going to be tough because the lineup’s got power. I mean, and it’s all up and down that lineup. It’s not consistent. It’s not the kind of like long atbat tough out type guys, but it’s the guys that if you make a mistake, they’re gonna make you pay. Nick Curts, my gosh, like I it’s hard to say because I love Chase Burns, but I mean Chase Burns or Nick Curts, like it’s it’s a tough comparison, I think, for their careers. And it’s even it’s made even harder by the fact it’s a pitcher versus a position player. But Nick Curts was there for the Reds to pick in the draft last year. and he is one of the best first baseman in baseball at least uh when it comes to the with the bat in the power. He would lead the Reds handedly in power right now and he’d be their cleanup hitter. So that’s a tough thing right now. I think it’s going to be an offseason discussion that we have and I’d like to have Boon on to see if he had the choice between the two who he would pick. Um which by the way Boon our friend over at Lockdown A’s will have you cover from the A’s perspective on this series. But I think that th this is going to be very interesting for this Red’s pitching staff, especially when you look at Brady Singer on Friday night. Brady Singer, Steve, I don’t know if you know this or not, he’s had a nice little bit of a a stretch right here. He’s got five straight quality starts. And in fact, of his last seven starts there, or no, sorry, eight starts, seven of them are quality starts. He just has the one bad one there back when they faced Pittsburgh and they lost seven to nothing in that game. He gave up four runs in just three and two/3, but he’s been really good here recently. As the season’s got along, dude has rose to the occasion. Yeah, not not a bad number three starter at all. You know, three four guy is where he profiles. When he came over here, we thought if he could just be a nice middle of the road, third guy in the rotation guy, we’d be really really happy. And there’s been several stretches throughout this year where he’s exceeded that. He’s been better definitely than a fourth guy in your rotation. and he’s been a high three guy in your rotation for a lot of this season and he just needs to continue that streak. The run that he’s been on just needs to continue. He does that, the Reds are primed to win the first game of the series, which I really would like to see them go out and do. Set the tone, win the first game because that third game of the series, I know Lollo’s going in that game, but it’s going to be September in Sacramento, a daytime getaway day. It’s going to be miserable pitching conditions. It’s going to be hot. It’s going to be uncomfortable. I would love for the Reds to just win the first two games of this series and nail it down. And I don’t think you get this as much in baseball as you as you get in like football or or even basketball, but there might be a little look ahead with this because this is the final series of the season that doesn’t involve an NL Central opponent. The Reds face division opponents the rest of the year after this. It’s St. Louis, it’s Chicago, it’s Pittsburgh, and it’s Milwaukee. So, there’s probably a part of like their brain that is saying, “You know what? Whatever. This is fine. We got some we got some guys we really want to beat coming up here next. You got to beat the team today. And I think that they’ve got the right manager for that. That’s the one part that as as much as we want to begrudge different decisions that Terry Francona makes throughout the season, we know for a fact he’s got this team focused on today because if whoever’s talking to him, they they will try to sneak in a question about, man, you guys got a tough stretch coming up or you know, you’re going here next or or this is what you’re looking at right now in the wild card race. He’s just like, I don’t care about that. I care about, you know, kicking the ass of the opponent across the field today. Who are we playing today? And hopefully they focus on that these next three days because they should win two out of three. I really don’t want to say that they should get a sweep, but looking at this, it’s just right there, right? You look at it, it’s just like Yeah. Like there’s nobody on this pitching staff I’m worried about for the A’s. And that’s the hard part, right? The the lineup just hasn’t been going. Padre’s pitching was really shutting them down these last three days. It’s just Red’s pitching was even better than Padres’s pitching. So now, can the lineup step up? That’s going to be where we’re really putting a pressure on this Red’s team this weekend because none of these guys in this this A’s pitching staff really scream like, “Oh boy, got to watch out for that guy.” So, as you’re watching this, folks, it is Thursday, Friday, a wonky time to be in your feed with the Reds on the West Coast. Here’s what’s going to happen. We’ve got a special Saturday episode for you coming this weekend because the Reds are on the West Coast. We want to get you the up tothedate information. So, this is the Thursday Friday show. No new show until Saturday morning. We’ll be back in your feeds breaking down the first game of this Sacramento A’s series. Hopefully, we’re talking about a Brady Singer win, a Cincinnati Reds win, and that is where we’re going to go ahead and wrap it up for today. Thanks as always for making locked on Reds your first listen each and every day. Make sure you go check out the locked on MLB feed for your second listen. Not only are you going to get Sully over there with his national perspective, his humor, fun guy to listen to, and he talks about the Reds fair bit. So, you’re going to get some good Reds information along the way as well. Uh, also, they’ve got MLB game night in that same feed where they’re watching every single game, every single night, so that you don’t have to, but you can stay up to date on all of the happenings in Major League Baseball. We’ll be back in your feed Saturday morning. We’re going to gather up the news, the notes, the information, the rumors, and the reports to keep you locked on Reds every single day. Sacramento, I love it. Manfred is so pissed right now. You think Chris Weber’s going to be there to call a timeout? [Laughter]

The Cincinnati Reds’ playoff hopes reignite as they close in on a wild card spot. Andrew Abbott’s dominant eight-inning performance against San Diego showcases the team’s resilience. Jeff and Steve analyze Tyler Stephenson’s impactful return to the lineup, highlighting his power-hitting potential. The hosts explore Tony Santillan’s emergence as a potential future closer, dissecting his league-leading appearances and impressive WHIP. Chase Burns’ move back to the bullpen adds flexibility to the pitching staff, potentially boosting the Cincinnati Reds’ postseason push. Can the Reds capitalize on their upcoming series against the struggling Oakland A’s? Tune in for expert insights on the Cincinnati Reds’ strategic moves and key player performances shaping their season.

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