Reds vs. Twins: Pitching preview, prediction, and more

The Reds’ All-Star outfielder has regained his stroke at the plate.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the terrible slump Jesse Winker was in and how he hardly resembled the player he was the first three months of the season. Fast-forward two weeks, and it seems the old Wink has reemerged.

Over his last 15 games, Winker is slashing .323/.389/.569 with two homers, nine RBIs, and 10 runs scored. I’m not saying a little constructive criticism from Blog Red Machine is the reason the left-handed hitting slugger has rebounded, but the timing makes you wonder.

If the Reds are going to make a serious run at the postseason, they’ll need Winker to be nearly as good as he was in the first half of the 2021 campaign. While Joey Votto has done most of the heavy lifting since Nick Castellanos went on the IL with a wrist injury, another threat the likes of Winker can do wonders for an already dangerous lineup.

Through his first four years in the majors, Da Wink has been at his best in August. Posting a lifetime 1.077 OPS in August, a similar performance coupled with the returns of Castellanos, Mike Moustakas, and Nick Senzel, the Redlegs have an offense with the potential of playing deep into October.

Prediction

There’s no need to be subtle about it; these are the type of games the Cincinnati Reds must win to remain in playoff contention. Minnesota is only playing for individual goals at this point of the season, as the dog days of August have arrived.

Look for the Reds to sweep the two-game set from the Twins before turning their focus towards the terrible Pittsburgh Pirates, who visit the Queen City on Thursday to begin a four-game series over the weekend at GABP.