Reds vs. White Sox: Pitching preview, prediction, and more

How did the Redlegs fare last week? As Larry David likes to say in Curb Your Enthusiasm, “pretty, pretty, pretty good.” On the heels of a seven-game skid, the Cincinnati Reds (13-14) bounced back, taking two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

It was another week of feast or famine for the Cincinnati offense. In their four victories, the Reds crossed the plate an astounding 32 times while scoring just a combined two runs in as many defeats.

The Cincinnati Reds welcome an excellent Chicago White Sox club to town.

Opening play this evening, the Reds find themselves in third place, trailing the first-place Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. Eleven of the Redlegs next 14 games will be played against foes outside the division, and following Thursday’s off-day, the club will play 16 consecutive days.

The Reds will need all the reinforcements they can muster for a busy May, and one integral piece should be returning to the active roster any moment. Outfielder Shogo Akiyama, recovering from a hamstring injury,  has played in a couple games at the Reds alternate site in Louisville over the past week, and his return appears imminent.

Talk about your unexpected reunion tours. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has lamented that firing Tony La Russa as manager in 1986 was his greatest regret during his ownership tenure. Fast forward thirty-five years and Reinsdorf is determined to exorcise his demons.

To put this in perspective, La Russa was first hired to run the club in 1979. I was nine years old. I’m now 50, and guess what? La Russa is again making out the lineup card for the South Siders. It’s mind-boggling.

Let’s be honest La Russa wouldn’t return to the field after a decade away to manage the Colorado Rockies. This White Sox team is loaded with talent and can compete with any team the American League has to offer.

Coming off a postseason appearance last year, the Chicago White Sox (15-12), winners of seven of their last 10 games, look every part of a contender for the 2021 season. Make no mistake about it, the South Side Hitmen are stacked, and the Reds will have their hands full the next two days.