Reds: 5 bold predictions for the second-half of the 2021 MLB season

The Reds are in the playoff hunt as the second-half begins.

The second-half of the 2021 MLB season begins on Friday and the Cincinnati Reds are in the playoff hunt, sitting just four games behind the National League Central Division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. The Reds open the second-half of the season with a three-game series against the Brewers.

This is the first time in a long time that Reds Country has been excited about baseball in late-July/ early-August. Despite Cincinnati making it into the postseason in 2020, the expanded playoffs was a outlier, and only five teams, not eight, are going to make it into the NL postseason this year.

With the NL West becoming a three-horse race, it seems as though the Reds best chance to make it into the playoffs is to win the NL Central Division. That said, Cincinnati trails the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card chase by only 3.5 games.

The Cincinnati Reds have been decimated by injuries all season. Nick Senzel, Mike Moustakas, Joey Votto, Sonny Gray, Michael Lorenzen, Lucas Sims, Tejay Antone, Wade Miley, and Aristides Aquino have all either spent time on the injured list or are currently on the IL. Thankfully, it appears as though Gray, Lorenzen, Sims, and Antone will all be back by the end of July.

There’s also the MLB trade deadline on the horizon, and the Reds certainly look to be buyers post-All-Star break. What might they be in the market for? It’s anyone’s guess, but an extra reliever or two couldn’t hurt. A shortstop may also be in the cards, but that seems less likely.

So, with a playoff push in full swing, what should the Cincinnati faithful expect from their favorite team as the second half of the 2021 MLB season begins? Let’s take a look at five bold predictions, sure to go wrong, for the second-half of the Reds’ season.