Don't just credit hitter-friendly Coors Field for the Reds' recent offensive surge

It's a popular narrative that's crafted when teams visit the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field — the ball travels further in the thin air of Denver, Colorado. And while that may be true, that's not the only reason why the Cincinnati Reds have experienced an offensive surge of late.

Yes, the Reds' hitters probably owe a tip of the cap to Coors Field for their 29 runs scored over the past three days, but the team as a whole has been swinging the bat well. Isn't this what Reds fans expected from the get-go this season?

The Reds pieced together an 18-hit performance on Monday, strung together another 12 during Tuesday night's win, and capped it off with a 12-hit game during Wednesday's series finale. But the Reds' bats have been heating up for the better part of a week, having now won three of their past four series.

Don't just credit hitter-friendly Coors Field for the Reds' recent offensive surge

Over the last two weeks, only the New York Yankees have a higher OPS than the Reds. During that 14-game span, Cincinnati is first in walks (55) and on-base percentage (.363), second in batting average (.271), runs scored (74) and RBI (69), third in hits (124), fourth in slugging percentage (.448) sixth in home runs (18), and 11th in doubles. That's impressive and includes games against the Rockies, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Diego Padres.

The Reds player with the highest OPS during that span will surprise a lot of fans. It's Stuart Fairchild. The Reds outfielder has found his niche with this year's team and has a 1.029 OPS in his last 11 games. Will Benson, Jeimer Candelario, and Jonathan India all have an OPS of 1.000 or more during that stretch as well.

TJ Friedl's return to the Reds lineup, coupled with the leadership shown from India, Candelario, and Tyler Stephenson appears to have invigorated this lineup. Throw in the recent exploits of Elly De La Cruz, and this team is looking quite similar to the ball club that went on a tear about this time a year ago.

Don't look now, but the Reds are just 1.5 games back in the chase for that final Wild Card spot in the National League. Cincinnati still trails the Milwaukee Brewers by seven games in the NL Central, but if the Redlegs keep winning this weekend against the Chicago Cubs, they could be in the second-place by the start of next week. Don't let the Reds get hot.

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