Reds: Reviewing second-half performances under David Bell

The Cincinnati Reds are ready to kick off the second half of the season when the Milwaukee Brewers come to town for a vital three-game series this weekend. A lot of credit for the success of this team needs to be given to Reds manager David Bell.

Bell has managed to keep this team competitive while dealing with many injuries in the first half of the season. As the Reds gear up for the second half of the season, let’s examine how David Bell and the team have done in the second half of the season during Bell’s short tenure as manager.

How have David Bell’s Reds teams performed in the 2nd half?

The Reds finished the 2019 season with a 75-87 record. Finishing the first half of the season with a 41-46 record, the Reds failed to reach 40 wins in the second half of the season with a record of 34-41.

The best month in the second half of the season took place right after the All-Star break when the Reds had a hot July. Cincinnati failed to reach a .500 winning percentage in any month of the second half of the season, with the most wins coming in August, compiling an overall record of 13-16. The Reds finished the season fourth in the NL Central that season.

Last year was complete chaos from start to finish for all of the MLB. The COVID-19 pandemic took away most of the season, with the schedule being shortened to 60 games. Looking at the last 30 games of the shortened season, the Cincinnati Reds took 18 of those games with a scorching September record of 16-9.

The team finished 3rd in the NL Central with an NL Wild Card series loss to the Atlanta Braves, while Bell finished in the top 10 for National League Manager of The Year, his team failed to get the job done in the postseason.

Coming into the second half of this season, the Reds are in the best position under David Bell since his arrival as manager in 2019. The team has a 48-42 record, sitting 2nd in the NL Central, with a huge matchup against the first-place Brewers in front of them.

The Reds have been brilliant at home and on the road this year, with a 53% winning percentage in both categories. Since June, the team has posted a 24-14 record, with a 9-2 record in the month of July just before the All-Star break.

While the play of Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker has been the talk of most fans, it’s time for David Bell to receive some praise for his performance as the manager of his ball club. The team has continued to improve every with Bell as the leader, and the second half of the 2021 season could really make Bell a star in Cincinnati.