MLB Playoffs: Three storylines to follow Cincinnati Reds vs Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) steps back to first against Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (19) on pick off attempt in the third inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Atlanta Braves At Cincinnati Reds
Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) steps back to first against Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (19) on pick off attempt in the third inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 Atlanta Braves At Cincinnati Reds
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Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (19) is congratulated by third base coach J.R. House after hitting a two-run home run.
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (19) is congratulated by third base coach J.R. House after hitting a two-run home run.Milwaukee Brewers At Cincinnati Reds Sept 23

Finally, Cincinnati will travel as the seventh seed to the two seed Atlanta Braves. Atlanta won their division. They also played exceptionally well at home going 19-11 and only losing two series at their Truist Park. But these are the Cincinnati Reds we’re talking about and they demand respect.

The Redlegs just waltzed into Minnesota and took two of three from the Twins. The Twins won their division and had only lost five games at home all season. They were about to break the record for best winning percentage at home– that is until the Reds came to town.

Who’s to say, with their best starting pitching, the Reds can’t handle the Braves the same way they handled the Twins? Or the White Sox for that matter. Chicago was leading the American League Central Division before traveling to Cincinnati and losing 2-of-3 to the Reds last week.

Some will say Atlanta has the bats. But the Big Red Machine is screaming down the rails with momentum. Cincinnati has shown they can barrel their way into anyone’s town and play ball. This should worry an Atlanta team that doesn’t have the pitching their opponents do and hasn’t won a season series against the Reds since 2014.

The MLB Playoffs got underway yesterday, but come Game 2 of the Reds series versus the Braves, it’ll officially be October baseball. There’s plenty of storylines to watch but the Reds have a chance to finally bend the narrative and roll with the changing winds of the season.

Winning the Wild Card Series will not only end the drought of playoff series wins, but can open the door to so much more we’ve been dreaming about. Atlanta can dream too but come Wednesday, Joey Votto and the Big Red Nightmare are pulling into the station.

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