by Chris Ball
Remember a time not just a month past where it seemed as though a 3 run game was an offensive explosion for the Reds? The term “Rally Reds” seemed a relic of a time gone by. Quality pitching was the only thing keeping them in games, many of which they still found creative ways to lose. The sweep of the Dodgers brought some hope, but a frustrating series loss agains the Cardinals dampened that a bit.
Then, the Reds took 2 of 3 from the Chicago Cubs to gain some momentum back. Those two wins were by a combined total of just four runs, and included some late game heroics by Jacob Hurtubise and Elly De La Cruz cutting down the potential game tying run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Alexis Diaz picked up two saves along the way. But it was really the series against the Colorado Rockies that would come to vault the Reds back into striking distance of contention in the NL Central Division.
The numbers speak for themselves. In their 3 wins against the Rockies the Reds scored a total of 29 runs while allowing only 11. They had 42 hits, with several key players catching fire at just the right time. Jeimer Candelario had 5 hits including 2 home runs and in his last 30 games he’s hitting .282. Spencer Steer had 6 hits in the series and over his last 15 games is beginning to look like the Steer of earlier in the year, batting .315 while slugging at at .556 clip. Prior to the Rockies series, De La Cruz was struggling mightily. But in the Mile High City he went 5-13 and hit a monster 448 foot home run from the right side of the plate. Put simply, the Reds’ offense looked as polished and deadly as it has all year, with multiple players producing and contributions coming from everywhere.
But what shouldn’t be overlooked is that for as hard as it is to pitch at altitude, 2 of the 3 Reds starters turned in dominant performance when it mattered. Frankie Montas was nearly perfect in game 2 of the series, allowing just one hit in 7 strong innings while striking out 9. In game 1 Andrew Abbott looked as though he was going to struggle to make it through the early innings but buckled down once again to allow only 3 runs in 6 innings in the win. And when Graham Ashcraft struggled in game 3, the Reds offense stepped in to rally late to once again dominate Colorado and secure the sweep.
It may be foolishly optimistic to hope that the Reds can keep crushing the cover off of the ball with this kind of consistency. But the most important aspect of this Colorado series is that the team and fans see what this truly talented team can do when it is firing on all cylinders. With Noelvi Marte priming to return in a few weeks to further bolster the lineup, all the Reds need to get back into the thick of the NL Central race is to continue to improve and have at least some of their key guys keep up this hot streak. When those players cool down, the hope is that a different combination of hitters will be right there ready to step in and drive in the runs the Reds need to keep winning. We’re past the point that the entire offense can fall apart for long stretches of time. As the season progresses if the Reds want to contend they must continue to put up solid offensive numbers, and the Rockies series has shown exactly how high our ceiling can be.
The Reds have won 9 of their last 12. After the sweep they are in striking distance of second place in the division with a chance to get even closer as the Chicago Cubs come to Cincinnati for a 4 game series this weekend.
Now is the time for the Reds to make a run at getting back to .500, and from there, after what we saw in Denver, who knows what is possible?
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Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.
by Chris Ball
While coaching searches are never easy, the opportunity to take the reins at a solid program like Loveland will no doubt attract very qualified candidates. Loveland athletic director Jayson Bruce has a great opportunity for to secure the future of this program by making a great hire, and this city looks forward to a new chapter in Loveland football history.
What’s so impressive is the way the Reds are winning. Their bats have come alive again. They are getting contributions from guys like Jonathan India, who looked so overmatched at the plate at times that it was almost sad to watch. He had a great series against Los Angeles which included a grand slam that seemed like the defining moment for the entire series.
Many Reds fans have nightmares about the dreaded “bullpen days” last year that were made necessary by the numerous injuries to the pitching staff. But this year the story has been much different with the major additions the team has made to their bullpen. Nick Martinez proved that when he carried the Reds to a win in one of those bullpen days against the Dodgers this past weekend. He threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings and in the last series facing them he tossed 5 innings while giving up only 1 run.
And to be clear, Bickerstaff should not be viewed as a scapegoat for the shortcomings of the Cavaliers this year. Injuries plagued this team for so much of the season. The signings of Max Strus and especially Georges Niang did not work out as planned. There was only so much a coach could do to keep this team afloat.
And this week, Bengals fans got a stark reminder of that process when Tee Higgins failed to sign his franchise tender after he, too, could not get what he needed in terms of a multi year deal from the team. Unfortunately, it appears that the 
In 58 games over the course of his career, Higgins has 257 receptions for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns. But he has never been the number one receiving option for an entire season. Those numbers are solid and he is a good wide receiver. If he proves that he can put up the numbers of a superstar WR1 for the Bengals next year, it will only benefit all parties. And so the play here isn’t to be sour about Tee’s offseason decisions, but to root like hell that if this is his last season for the Cincinnati Bengals, that he makes it his best one ever.
as rare as a prime steak at Jeff Ruby’s. A perfect example is Elly De La Cruz going 0 for 13 with eight strikeouts after his four-hit, four-stolen-base game Thursday against those Dodgers that so electrified Reds fans and primed them to believe this offense could finally snap out of its funk. The team as a whole failed to respond after a positive win and were unable to score for 16 consecutive innings at one stretch in the Dodgers series.