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

Reds close homestand with their first look at the 2021 Detroit Tigers.

Reds Country, nobody said it would be easy. After dropping four in a row, the Cincinnati Reds (72-63) salvaged the final contest of their three-game series versus the St. Louis Cardinals by crushing four homers in a 12-2 drubbing of the Redbirds. However, the race has tightened significantly for the second and final Wild Card berth in the National League.

Entering play this evening, the Redlegs are clinging to a half-game lead over the San Diego Padres for a postseason berth. But, unfortunately, the Friars aren’t the only team creeping up from behind.

A resurgent Philadelphia Phillies ballclub overcame a six-run deficit yesterday against the Washington Nationals to collect their sixth consecutive victory and trail the Redlegs by just two games with the aforementioned Cardinals 2.5 games back in the Wild Card race. In other words, it’s going to be a stressful September.

For the Reds to create some breathing room, they have to start playing better baseball immediately. Cincinnati has lost three consecutive series and are 3-6 in their last nine contests.  However, help may be on the way in the form of this weekend’s opponent, the Detroit Tigers.

Detroit (63-72) has lost six of their last eight and are just 28-37 outside of Motown. But don’t take the Tigers too lightly. Since late July, they’ve dropped only one road series and are two games over .500 overall following a dreadful April.

Lifetime these two clubs could not be more evenly matched. The Reds and Tigers have split their 32 contests, with both clubs going 8-8 in each other’s ballpark. As you guessed, the two teams split their six contests a year ago.