The Reds battle the White Sox with the MLB Playoffs in sight

The Reds control their postseason fortunes as they host the playoff-bound White Sox.

How we looking now Reds Country? What a difference a week makes. Last Friday, we were talking about the Cincinnati Reds 2020 Disappointment Tour limping into St. Louis and this weekend we’re thinking about clearing our October calendars for postseason baseball.

That’s what happens when you win 6-of-7 games down the stretch. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because the Reds (25-26) have plenty of obstacles still ahead of them. If the Reds do, in fact, qualify for the playoffs, they will have earned it.

Cincinnati’s last nine games are against a team already in the postseason, the Chicago White Sox. Another, trailing the Reds by just one game, in the Milwaukee Brewers are up next. Finally, a team who is one the verge of securing a playoff spot, the Minnesota Twins, represent the final three games of the season. Buckle up! It’s going to be a wild 10 days to close out the regular season.

Despite sweeping a four-game set against the dismal Pittsburgh Pirates, there are still plenty of question marks concerning the Redlegs offense. Over the course of those four games, the Reds only managed to score more than four runs once. In fact, the Reds collected only 21 hits and failed to dent the plate for ten consecutive innings between Game 3 and 4 of the series.

What the Reds did well against the Pirates was pitch lights-out baseball. Trevor Bauer and Luis Castillo were masterful in their starts, while Michael Lorenzen, who was making his first start in nearly two years, provided a tremendous boost by tossing five innings of one-run ball and fanning six Bucs without allowing a free pass.

Don’t be surprised if we see the Zen Master make another start, and that’s partly due to the arrival of Archie Bradley. Since arriving in the Queen City following an August 31st deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bradley has yet to surrender a run in five appearances.

Tossing 6.2 innings, Bradley has recorded five strikeouts without yielding a walk and giving up just three hits. It’s too early yet to tell, but the Bradley deal just may be the missing ingredient for this roster to reach it’s full potential.

The South Side Hitmen have not one, but two MVP candidates.

First baseman Jose Abreu is having another monster season on Chicago’s South Side. Going into play yesterday, he leads the American League in hits, RBIs, total bases and is second in home runs. Producing a slash line of .327/.367/.629 with an eye-popping 167 OPS+, the 33-year-old Cuban is wreaking serious havoc on opponent’s pitching staffs.

These ridiculous offensive numbers are nothing new for Abreu. Since his rookie MLB season of 2014, the three-time All-Star has captured three Silver Slugger awards and a Rookie of the Year trophy for his mantlepiece.

Through his first six seasons, Abreu has hit at least 22 homers and drove in more than 100 runs five times, including an AL-best 123 last season. Jose Abreu is simply a one-man wrecking crew with the bat.

As frightening as Abreu’s numbers are, there’s a strong argument that he’s not even the biggest offensive threat on his own team. Shortstop Tim Anderson is a superstar in the making. The 27-year-old currently leads the American League with a .373 average and his 41 runs scored also tops the rankings. This is coming off a 2019 campaign in which Anderson won the AL batting crown with a .335 average.

Anderson’s slash line of .373/.410/.596 with a 1.006 OPS is going to give any opposing manager and pitching coach nightmares. Next, his impressive 172 OPS+ leads the White Sox and is good enough for fourth in the AL just ahead of teammate Jose Abreu. Reds backstops will need to be prepared when Anderson reaches base as well. Since his rookie season in 2016, he’s swiped 73 bases.

Voters for the American League MVP are going to have a tough decision to make this year. Tim Anderson currently leads the AL with a 2.4 fWAR while Abreu is fourth with a 2.2 fWAR. In between are a couple of Angels, Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, who are members of a fourth-place team. Regardless of who captures the AL MVP, there’s no doubt in my mind it should be Abreu or Anderson.

Reds pitcher, Luis Castillo, has been brilliant recently.

Admit it, Reds Country, you were a little nervous after Luis Castillo‘s first three starts of the season when he started 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA. Following a second half of the 2019 campaign when he was 7-5 with a 4.78 ERA in 14 starts, you couldn’t help but wonder if the dominance he displayed to open last season was aberration.

Breathe easy Reds fans, because the dazzling La Piedra has reemerged in just the nick of time. Over the last month, Luis Castillo has posted an impressive 2.18 ERA in five starts covering 33 innings. But it’s been Castillo’s virtuoso performances the last two weeks that have Reds Country especially excited.

In his last three starts, Castillo collected as many victories and limited the opposition to just three runs on a dozen hits over 22 frames while recording 24 strikeouts without allowing a homer. Luis Castillo might have pitched the best game of his career last Friday with a complete game, two-hit performance against the Cardinals in a 3-1 Cincinnati victory.

As the Reds battle for one of the remaining playoff spots in the National League, it’s safe to assume Castillo will be making two starts before the end of the regular season. There’s no guarantee the Reds will be playing in October, but you have to believe both La Piedra and Trevor Bauer will be making a combined four starts in the Reds final 10 contests which should provide fans with cautious optimism.

Prediction

The Reds won’t face a better team during this 2020 regular season campaign than the Chicago White Sox. They have all the pieces for a club who could be hoisting the World Series trophy by the end of October. It will be a great test for this Reds team.

Even though the South Siders have punched their playoff ticket, I’m sure they would like to finish with as high a seed as possible especially being in a dead-heat with the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland A’s for the best record in the American League.

However, the Cincinnati Reds will be playing for their postseason lives and that sense of urgency will propel the Redlegs to a series victory by taking 2-of-3 from the White Sox while moving tantalizingly closer to a playoff berth.