The Reds welcome the Pirates to town with the postseason in sight

The Reds begin their final homestand by welcoming the Pirates.

To quote Jim Carrey’s Lloyd Christmas character in Dumb & Dumber “so you’re telling me there’s a chance?” While the Cincinnati Reds (21-26) playoff odds may not be as dire as the one-in-a-million odds Lloyd received, they’re still a long shot despite winning their first series in over a month this past weekend in St. Louis.

Entering play today, the Reds trail the Cardinals by 2.5 games for second place in the National League Central and an automatic berth while also staring at a two-game deficit to the San Francisco Giants for the final Wild Card spot. In other words, the Reds need some help, but the schedule is on their side.

Of the Reds final 13 games, 10 will be played at Great American Ball Park with the Pirates being the first opponent on the schedule. The Reds and Bucs have split their first six games during the 2020 campaign, but this is a series where the Redlegs need to take care of business and place themselves squarely in playoff contention.

Of course, nothing is ever easy for the Reds, as word came yesterday they will be fighting for their postseason lives without the services of Sonny Gray for a minimum of another week. The club placed the team’s ace on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Friday, due to a  back strain. Really, this shouldn’t come as a shock to Reds Country.

Anyone who has watched Gray’s last two outings could tell he was far from the dominating pitcher we have become accustomed to seeing. Additionally, back injuries are always tricky for pitchers; just ask Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. There’s a very real chance Gray won’t throw another pitch for the Redlegs this year.

However, help could be on the horizon. Yesterday manager David Bell stated outfielder Nick Senzel may be activated today from the injured list. Senzel has not played since August 14th, but his bat and speed would be a much-welcomed addition to the lineup.

As disappointing and inconsistent as the Cincinnati Reds have been this year, the team still has a chance, with two weeks remaining in the season, and we haven’t been able to say that since 2013.  It’s go time.