Cincinnati Reds: What to expect in the second half of the season?

The Cincinnati Reds had a horrible start to the 2018 season, but have rebounded nicely of late. What can Reds fans expect from their team down the stretch?

While they’re not yet out of the race, a spot in the postseason for the Cincinnati Reds seems unlikely. What does success in the second half of the season look like and what should Reds’ fans expect down the stretch?

The Cincinnati Reds started the season 3-18. Since that time they’ve gone 40-35 (.571) and have shown the ability to play solid baseball under interim manager Jim Riggleman. The Reds are 13.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central and 10 games out of the Wild Card.

The Reds have been rolling of late. Cincinnati has won 6 of their last 8 series, sweeping the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs. Their only losing series in the stretch came against those same Cubs, and one could argue that they should’ve swept the Cubs again.

The Cincinnati Reds offense

The Cincinnati Reds have the NL leader in batting average, Scooter Gennett (.326), and Eugenio Suarez is trailing Chicago’s Javier Baez by only 1 run as the NL leader in RBIs. Joey Votto is, well, Joey Votto. He leads the National League in on-base percentage at .422. Gennett, Suarez, and Votto are all in the NL Top 20 in OPS as well.

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But enough about the offense. We know the Reds can swing the bats. What will be very indicative of the Reds’ success in the second half of the season is their pitching. More specifically, their starting pitching.

The Cincinnati Reds pitching

Trading Matt Harvey is more a question of when not if. The Reds have likely turned Harvey into an asset that a contending team will want for their stretch run. While most expect Homer Bailey to be inserted back into the rotation, despite his horrendous start to the season, there is no guarantee that the veteran will retain his starting spot.

Tyler Mahle, who had a terrific start to his rookie season, struggled mightily in his last outing and it will be interesting to see how the young gun responds. Sal Romano and Luis Castillo, the Reds’ pair of young starters, have had a roller coaster start to this season. The Reds would love to see some consistency going forward from two players who could potentially be key pieces to the starting rotation going forward.

What does success look like for the 2nd half?

So, what can we expect from the Cincinnati Reds for the remainder of the 2018 season? Let’s start with Jim Riggleman. Riggleman took over for the fired Bryan Price after the Reds got off to that awful 3-15 start. Riggleman has guided the Reds to a 40-38 record and Cincinnati was one of the hottest teams in baseball going into the All-Star break.

Could Riggleman get that “interim” tag removed before the season ends, and what will it take to do that? Yes, if Cincinnati continues to tear up the competition, and the Reds finish at or near .500, I don’t see any way Nick Krall and the Reds’ front office let Riggleman walk.

With St. Louis firing Mike Matheny just a few days ago, the Cardinals have now thrown their hat into the ring for the managerial search. Oddly enough, Riggleman’s name has come up as a potential candidate. If those rumors are true, and the Reds feel as though Riggleman could be the man to lead this team, the last thing you want to do is let him leave your clubhouse and join a division rival.

Who’s going to get a September call-up this year? Honestly, there’s not much in terms of an exciting young player at the Triple-A level since Nick Senzel went down with an injury. While Cincinnati has some good young talent, most of those players haven’t yet promoted beyond Double-A.

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The Reds will be an interesting team to watch, not just at the trade deadline, but into August and September as well. What roster moves might the Reds make between now and the end of the season? What will it take for Jim Riggleman to have the interim tag removed? Will Cincinnati continue their winning ways into the latter part of the season? Only time will tell. Let’s get ready for a fun ending to a roller coaster season.

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