News Reds Team Notes

[Cincinnati Reds]

Reds outlast Brewers, move back into playoff position with Mets loss

Timely hitting from Miguel Andujar and Gavin Lux and a fortuitous bounce off the bag at second base will dominate the storylines from Friday’s massive 3-1 victory by the Cincinnati Reds in the series opener in Milwaukee. Rightfully so, too, as Cincinnati’s offense has lacked the ability to pick up hits when they matter time and time again over the course of the season.

That kind of outage has put outsized pressure on a pitching staff that’s already been incredibly up to the task, but tonight that’s exactly what also came through for them as well. Zack Littell was nails as the starter, yielding just a lone earned run in 4.2 IP before manager Terry Francona turned to the fireballers in his bullpen to get the rest taken care of. Take care of it they did, as Connor Phillips, Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan, and Emilio Pagan combined to close things ot in lockdown fashion thereafter.

The win vaulted the Reds back into playoff position, as they’re in a tie with the New York Mets in the standings after the Metros lost to the Miami Marlins down in south Florida earlier on the day. The Reds hold the tiebreaker in the even those two clubs finish the season tied, meaning Cincinnati now controls its own destiny with just two regular season games remaining.

Keep in mind that the Brewers are not going to simply roll over this series. They’re one win away from clinching home field advantage through the NLCS, something that remains paramount for them after the chasing Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Minnesota Twins to stay mathematically relevant in that race for another day. So, the Reds are still going to face an A-lineup and effort in tomorrow’s game, too.

For tonight, at least, we’ve got the hopiest of hopes in Reds Country as the little club that could simply refuses to bow out just yet.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/game-recaps/48767/cincinnati-reds-wild-card-milwaukee-brewers

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

New York Mets take on Miami Marlins at 4:10 PM ET

Despite winning 96 games during an epic 1999 regular season, the Cincinnati Reds were pushed to a 163rd regular season game due to a tie in the standings (and a playoff system that hadn’t been expanded to today’s standards).

Al Leiter, as those of us old enough to recall, slammed the damn door shut on the Reds that day, his New York Mets thumping Cincinnati 5-0 to eliminate them from any and all playoff scenarios.

That would be a blip on the radar for a lot of Major League Baseball franchises, but not in Cincinnati. Only three times in the 26 seasons since have the Reds so much as won 90+ games, and only in 2012 (97) did they manage to top that total. And, as everyone is well aware, any snippet of postseason success that may have come with those solid regular seasons has also completely eluded this franchise.

The 2025 Reds aren’t going to win 90 regular season games, but the postseason has expanded to allow them the chance to sneak in with significantly fewer wins if things continue to break their way. One of those things is a complete collapse by the Mets, something that they’ve been working on for weeks as the season winds down.

Last night’s loss by the Mets to the Miami Marlins paired with Cincinnati’s win over Milwaukee puts them into a tie in the standings with a pair of games left, with Cincinnati sporting the tiebreaker between the two clubs that would send them to the playoffs if both teams finish in similar fashion. The Mets, though, could throw the Reds one more lifeline today with another loss to the Marlins, meaning all the Reds would have to do to make the postseason is win just one of their remaining two games against the Brewers.

The Mets play first today, taking on Miami at 4:10 PM ET in south Florida. Clay Holmes will start for New York opposite Miami’s Eury Perez, and you can view that game on MLB.tv if you’ve got a subscription.

I’m not saying today has the chance to provide full retribution for the way the 1999 season ended, but I am saying there’s a chance it could make up for a lot of it if things go exactly the way the Reds hope. So, don your Marlins cap if you’ve got one and pray to the great Marlins dinger sculpture in the sky this afternoon.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/game-previews/48770/new-york-mets-playoff-scenarios-reds-marlins

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Reds blast past Brewers 7-4, inch closer to playoff berth

Cincinnati Reds rookie Sal Stewart blasted a laser of a single up the middle to drive in the first run of the game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday evening, and he later homered to add an insurance run to the ledger of the eventual 7-4 victory.

The Reds used a 6-run Top of the 3rd inning to both chase Brewers starter Robert Gasser and also put enough runs on the board to take the game, backing Andrew Abbott (5.1 IP, 3 ER) before manager Terry Francona once again leaned hard on his exhausted bullpen to take home the win.

Emilio Pagan picked up the save, his 32nd of the season, while pitching for the fourth time in four days. Nick Martinez chipped in with a pair of IP as all hands were on deck, and the initial inklings suggest that the Reds may even have lefty Nick Lodolo back from his groin injury scare to help chip in (if needed) in Sunday’s season finale.

The New York Mets defeated the Miami Marlins with a 1-hit shutout earlier in the day on Saturday, meaning the two clubs enter play on the day of their 162nd game of the season Sunday tied in the standings (with Cincinnati holding the tiebreaker). That means that either a Reds win or a Mets loss tomorrow would send the Reds to the postseason for the first time in a full 162 game season since the days of Shin-Soo Choo.

As of right now, Brady Singer is slated to pitch tomorrow opposite Freddy Peralta, but seeing as it’s the last game of the season that could well shift before first pitch. That game is slated for a 3:10 PM ET first pitch, so turn on, tune in, and scream your butts off at the television for the hot-dang Redlegs.

Tony Graphanino​

Box Score & WPA chart via FanGraphs

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/game-re...yoffs-wild-card-milwaukee-brewers-sal-stewart