Cincinnati Reds: Three keys to a postseason pursuit

2. Can the Reds bats stay hot?

Okay, so it might be stretch to say the Cincinnati Reds offense is heating up, but if you take a serious look beyond the team’s batting average, you’ll see that the bats are starting to come alive. The Reds racked up 10 runs on 13 hits during Sunday’s victory and return home for 10 straight games. Will some home cookin’ help the Cincinnati offense stay locked in?

The team’s hottest hitter right now might be Shogo Akiyama. After struggling earlier this season, the Cincinnati outfielder has been on a tear over the past week. In his last seven games, Akiyama is hitting .364/.462/.409. While the power hasn’t been there, Shogo Akiyama has supplanted Joey Votto as the team’s leadoff hitter.

In addition to the resurgence of Akiyama, former All-Star Eugenio Suárez is heating up as well. The Great Bam-Geno is hitting .269/.328/.692 over the last 15 games and has six home runs and 15 RBIs during that stretch. Suárez launched his team-leading 13th round-tripper yesterday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

Joey Votto has hit safely in his last four games, and while he’s not duplicating the same level of dominance at the plate we saw after his benching, Votto and the team are heading back the Queen City for 10 games. The face of the Cincinnati Reds franchise is hitting .364/.474/.698 at home this season as compared to his .103/.213/.170 slash line on the road.