Trade candidate Brandon Drury and the Reds look to keep the Marlins swimming upstream

Reds Country, it's finally happened. For the first time since April 12th, your Cincinnati Reds (40-61) have escaped the basement of the National League Central. How long will the Redlegs remain out of the cellar? That remains to be seen. But, at least for one day, we can breathe a sigh of relief.

It's been a positive start to the second half of the 2022 campaign for Cincinnati following a 6-4 homestand after taking two of three from the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend. Amazingly, the Reds have gone 9-5 this season versus the American League East in a division where four of the five clubs are .500 are better.

For the second time in a week, the Reds and Marlins will be clashing with the scene shifting to the embarrassingly named loanDepot Park in Miami. The Reds and Marlins split their four-game set at Great American Ball Park last week.

Brandon Drury and the Reds look to keep the Marlins swimming upstream.

The post-All-Star break has not been as kind for the Miami Marlins (47-55) who have dropped six of 10 contests including three in a row over the weekend to the NL East division-leading New York Mets. Miami is posted a 13-15 July record and are 22-26 this season playing in front of their hometown fans.

It will be an upstream battle for the Marlins to finish above the .500 mark. The franchise has compiled just one winning season in the last dozen years and that came during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season when they went 31-29 and dispatched the Chicago Cubs in the first round of the playoffs.

Over the last decade, the Reds are 14-18 when traveling to South Beach. However, with a series victory this week, the Redlegs will capture their third consecutive season series over the Fish.