Double Series Recap: Give Me a Break People

I know, I know. You've been clamoring since Saturday for another BDL post, but it has been a crazy week. I promise more to follow in the coming days. However, be ready for some full insight here, since I attended every game of these two series.

Reds Homestand (August 2-7) Double Recap :

Cardinals Def. Reds 2-1
Game 1: Cardinals 13, Reds 3
Game 2: Reds 8, Cardinals 3
Game 3: Cardinals 15, Reds 2

Reds "Sweep" Athletics 2-0
Game 1: Reds 3, Athletics 1
Game 2: Reds 6, Athletics 5

After a 5-6 road trip down the West Coast, the Reds lineup badly needed the friendly confines of Great American Ball Park to boost their offense, but sadly, it seemed to really just help the Cardinals. The only starting pitcher who performed well was Rookie Tony Cingrani who gave up 3 ER in 5 Innings with 7 Strikeouts in the 8-3 Game 2 Win.

At this point, the Cardinals hold a 8-4 lead in the season series between the two divisional rivals. Seven games remain between the teams, a three-game bout in St. Louis (Aug. 26-28) and a four-game return to Cincinnati (Sept. 2-5).

The Reds did however complete a mini-sweep of a very talented Oakland team that will soon become my home-market squad. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Cause For Concern: 

Despite some lopsided outcomes, pitching still remains a strong-suit for the Reds so there's really only one person who is clearly in a hole right now, local-favorite 3B Todd Frazier. In the homestand, he went 0-for-10 with 5 Strikeouts and was benched for two games in favor of Jack Hannahan, who did not really solve the issue at third base either.

Praised Performances:

The best performance of the weekend was Mat Latos' 7.1 inning performance in the 3-1 win over Oakland where he finished with 0 Earned Runs, 4 hits, and 3 strikeouts to improve his record to 11-3. The crowd at Great American gave Mat a well-deserved standing ovation for his pitching that afternoon.

I am usually the first person, if not the five thousandth, to complain about Dusty Baker's use of Aroldis Chapman in the Cincinnati bullpen, but there still is something special about watching this guy pitch. Chapman recorded a save in both Oakland wins with four strikeouts and one earned run over two innings. The man is a showman.

Why You Should Be Freaking Out Right Now:

The day after the 15-2 shellacking by the river, I decided to jump out of a plane. Rumors have it that a record number of Cincinnatians, Cincinnites, um, Cincy-People   flocked to nearby airstrips to do the same.

Alright, so I did have a tandem harness on and a parachute, but the Reds difficulties with the Redbirds definitely didn't make me very happy.

And also, apparently my Tandem partner was none other than international icon Bono from U2.

All skydiving talk aside, Reds fans should now be keeping a close eye on the standings, but sadly not in an optimistic way. Currently 7 Games behind the Pirates for 1st Place and 3.5 games behind St. Louis, The Reds may need to be content on just landing a postseason spot at all, let alone the NL Central Pennant that most fans and analysts feel they should be contending for.

The Reds are 4.5 games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final wildcard spot, with the preseason-favorite Washington Nationals nearly out of contentions at 9 games back. Keep an eye on the four-game series between the Reds and Diamondbacks in Cincinnati August 19-22. If we struggle at home that series, expect every Redlegs fan to look like dear in the headlights, very similar to my dear friend Chris Tassone once we were 6,000 feet in the air.  (Zoom In)

Hope? 

Despite the recent struggles, the Reds should still be favored to make the playoffs as a wildcard team, if not a late contender for the NL Central. Baseball is a game of ups and downs and all it takes is a Jay Bruce hot streak for the Redlegs to go on a run. A relatively easy final stretch to the season, barring some crazy important series, should help the Reds make it to October.

The Reds next ten games are against the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, and Milwaukee Brewers, so hopefully we can look forward to 7+ wins over the next two weeks. Looking at the schedule further, they also have series coming up against the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros (!!! I've missed beating this team so much), and the New York Mets. Although they have struggled against top-tier teams this season, there's still a chance the Reds make up some ground in the next few days.

Up Next:

The Reds finish out the homestand with a three-game series against the San Diego Padres, so hopefully we can get a few good wins this weekend. I'll be cheering from the road out west, sadly.