The most recent test on the table for the Cincinnati Reds was a 4-game set against the last place Pittsburgh Pirates. They lost the first pair of games in the series, yet managed to salvage the latter half of it, exiting right where they were when they started – 5 games over .500, and not yet in possession of a playoff spot.
Their upcoming schedule affords them fewer such opportunities. In fact, the next six games on their schedule are set against the two National League clubs with the best winning percentages so far this season. And, as I squint, I see that they’re the two Major League clubs with the best winning percentages so far this season.
That’s not on the back of some absurd early-season stretch, either. The Philadelphia Phillies, who open a 3-game set in Great American Ball Park on Monday night, just swept the Texas Rangers on the road and have won 6 of their last 7 overall. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers – in Pittsburgh tonight for a quick 3-game series and in GABP on Friday after that – are riding an absurd 9-game win streak (and have won 12 of 13 overall).
It’s the meat of the Cincinnati Reds schedule. It’s also what they must get through with aplomb if they’re actually going to jump into a playoff spot this season, since the schedule doesn’t exactly get any less difficult to navigate after this homestand against MLB’s elite.
In fact, what lies after this week’s slate of games is, historically, what has derailed so many fringe Reds seasons of the past – a 3-stop, 9-game road trip to the West Coast, including a stint at the home of the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers.
The good news, as we learned yesterday, is that the Reds are set to welcome back ace Hunter Greene to wrap their series against the Phillies. That’ll bolster an already stout starting rotation and allow more flexible arms to round out a beleaguered bullpen. The hope, of course, is that’s the edge the staff needs to continue locking down opposing offenses.
First pitch on Monday night will be chucked by lefty Andrew Abbott, with righty Taijuan Walker getting the start for the Phillies. That’s slated for an early 6:10 PM ET start, so don’t miss it.