Cincinnati Reds Showing Their True Identity as Playoff Race Intensifies
Reds rookie Chase Burns was again called upon to help secure a series win against the New York Yankees in the Bronx on Sunday. The win brought the Reds back within 2 games of the .500 line for the season as we near its midway, and again helped bridge the gap between what they were at their electrifying start to the season and what they may be again when all their parts return healthy.
Now comes the part of their schedule that will actually define their season. The next two weeks are a pair of series against the juggernaut Milwaukee Brewers, with a trip to Pittsburgh to play Paul Skenes and the Pirates sandwiched in between.
The Reds, who once again find themselves at the bottom of the National League Central, have been downright awful versus their division for a little while now. They are a dismal 2-13 in 15 games versus division foes in 2026 alone and have been swept by the Cardinals in St. Louis, the Cubs in Chicago and the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Not only losing series but being swept outright.
Then, looking at their next 10 games against divisional opponents doesn’t just appear challenging, it seems defining. This term includes an upcoming 7 game road trip through Pittsburgh and Milwaukee that will define who this Reds squad is this season given the scheduling. Yes, star Elly De La Cruz is coming back this week. Yes, each of them got positive news, Hunter Greene and Emilio Pagan respectively on the recoveries of. But none of those three trends will mean squat if the last place Reds can’t flip the recent script on how they behave within their division.
If the Reds are going to be buyers this year, they need to navigate this stretch with a lot of success, not a little. If they can’t claw their way back into actual playoff contention in the month leading up to the trade deadline, well, they’re not going to convince their front staff to improve this team in any meaningful way.
The above milquetoast vote of meh from the team’s front staff is the latest admission that even they don’t know what this team can do. They are clearly not confident that they have assembled something substantial and if there is something truly substantial there, it is running out of time to reveal itself.
But the next two weeks are the perfect canvas for a fantastic team to come. Elite opposition, backs to the wall and a small window of opportunity to show oneself.
We’re about to find out what this Cincinnati Reds squad really is, for better or for worse.
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