Cincinnati Reds: Three takeaways from series win vs Chicago White Sox

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CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 20: Freddy Galvis #3 of the Cincinnati Reds beats the throw to Yolmer Sánchez. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

The Reds took care of business versus the White Sox.

The Cincinnati Reds took 2-of-3 from the American League-leading Chicago White over the weekend. Cincinnati was in the playoffs entering play on Friday and they’ll begin a three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers tonight with the postseason still in play. What did we learn from the Reds last three games against one of the AL’s best teams?

Cincinnati, behind the arm of Tyler Mahle, roared out the gates on Friday and defeated Chicago 7-1. The Reds got a solid outing from their right-hander and four home runs helped propel the team to victory. Joey Votto, Nick Castellanos, Jesse Winker and Tucker Barnhart all went yard off Chicago’s rookie starting pitcher.

With the White Sox sending Dallas Keuchel to the hill on Saturday night, the results were a bit different. A tight contest in the early-going, two home runs surrendered by Reds starter Trevor Bauer put Chicago up 2-0. Following Bauer’s exit, Robert Stephenson promptly allowed back-to-back-to-back homers, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Yesterday afternoon, Cincinnati took advantage of a horrendous performance from the White Sox pitching staff. Chicago issued 11 walks, and the Reds scored seven runs on just five hits. A two-run blast off the bat of Aristides Aquino helped provide more than enough runs and the Redlegs cruised to a 7-3 victory. What were some of the key takeaways from this series?

CINCINNATI, OH – JULY 18: Robert Stephenson #55 of the Cincinnati Reds reacts during team scrimmage (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

1. Robert Stephenson does not need to pitch in clutch situations.

Let’s get the bad out of the way first. While Trevor Bauer was far from perfect on Saturday, the evening was nightmarish for Robert Stephenson. The Reds reliever came on in the 8th inning with his team trailing just 2-0. When Stephenson left the mound, the White Sox were up 5-0 and any life that the Reds had left was sucked out of Great American Ball Park.

Stephenson surrendered back-to-back-to-back home runs off the bats of Tim Anderson, Yasmani Grandal and Jose Abreu. Now, let’s not act like those are three horrendous hitters. Anderson is an emerging star, Grandal is one of the best hitting catchers in the game and Abreu may well take home the AL MVP.

However, if the Reds are going to keep Stephenson on the roster, and I’m of the mindset that they should, he cannot be put in those types of high-leverage situations. To be sure, it’s not as though Bob Steve was run out there with a one-run lead in the ninth, but I’d argue that Stephenson has no business in any game down the stretch in which Cincinnati has a chance to win.

In my opinion, while I’m a big fan of Stephenson, he needs to be given the role of long-man should Cincinnati fall behind early and need to replace the starter. You might say, “Then why even keep him on thee roster”, and that’s a fair question. But, we saw what Stephenson was capable of last season, and I’m not ready to give up on him yet.

CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 20: Freddy Galvis #3 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a single. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

2. Freddy Galvis needs more playing time

This will not be popular, and I’m just as excited as you about the potential of José García, but the Reds rookie is not getting it done at the plate consistently. García’s defense has been very good, but he’s hitting just .196 in his last 46 at-bats. Strangely, García has yet to hit a home run on the season, despite having big league power.

Freddy Galvis came up big for the Reds in yesterday’s game versus the White Sox. The switch-hitter was 2-for-2, scored a run and drew a walk. It’s not as though Galvis has set the world on fire recently, but after being supplanted by García as the team’s primary shortstop, he’s been in and out of the lineup.

I’m not advocating for García to be benched all together. The two-run walk-off homer by fellow rookie Tyler Stephenson against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 14th would not have been possible if García had not worked a single and reached base ahead of him. That said, there’s a reason García is at or near the bottom of the Cincinnati batting order.

These final six games hold the utmost significance for the Cincinnati Reds, and I’m not sure it’s wise to trust a rookie in these big moments when you have a veteran bat like Galvis available. García has established himself as the future shortstop for this team, but down the stretch, I’d hitch my wagon to Freddy Galvis.

CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 20: Aristides Aquino #44 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a fielder’s choice for an RBI. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

3. Aristides Aquino has earned a spot on the Reds playoff roster

That home run took us back to August last year, didn’t it? Aristides Aquino flat-out punished the ball that he hit into the upper deck on GABP yesterday afternoon. Aquino has played meaningful games of late, and David Bell must find a way to keep him in the lineup down the stretch and on the playoff roster if Cincinnati makes it to the postseason.

In his last seven games, The Punisher has two home runs and five RBIs. While his spot in right field is occupied by Nick Castellanos, Aquino has found playing time in left field and as the team’s designated hitter. With the streaky Jesse Winker mired in a slump, Bell should definitely platoon the two over the final six games.

Aquino absolutely demolished his fifth inning homer off Ross Detwiler. With a runner on, Aquino sent a 1-2 pitch over the left-center field wall at a crazy 107.6-MPH according to Baseball Savant. The ball travelled 428-feet. Just the sound alone was enough to make Reds Country come to life.

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The Cincinnati Reds currently occupy the No. 8 seed in the National League playoff picture and if the team sneaks into the postseason, there’s zero doubt that The Punisher belongs on the roster. The level of power is something you can’t teach, and if Aquino gets hot, we’ve seen how dominant he can be.

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