By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Albert Cesare/The Enquirer
The improbable happened. The Cincinnati Reds swept the Chicago Cubs in a 4-game weekend series. The Reds won 1-0 on Sunday.
The Reds are now tied with the New York Mets for the third and final wild card spot. The Mets lost 2 of 3 this weekend against the Washington Nationals. The Reds are in control of their own destiny. September is the month where we see teams get hit at the right time, and some who go cold. The Reds are getting hot at the right time.
Terry Francona has managed this team very well in the last week or so. He has used his pitchers very effectively. The Reds won their second 1-0 game this weekend against a good team like the Cubs.
Andrew Abbott pitched well in yesterday’s game. The bullpen did their part as well, starting with Nick Martinez, who came out of the bullpen and neutralized the Cubs’ lineup.
Spencer Steer is starting to come around. He overcame a shoulder injury earlier this season, and now he’s hitting the ball well. Steer leads the Reds with 21 home runs. Elly De La Cruz is right behind him with 20. De La Cruz, who has been in a slump without hitting home runs, came to an end when he hit a home run on Friday, and he’s slowly getting back into rhythm, and it’s coming at a good time.
The Reds have 32 comeback wins this season. Just when things didn’t look like they were going to compete for the playoffs, the Reds changed their season around. Their playoff holes will most likely come down to the final weekend of the season when they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A pitching matchup between Hunter Greene and Paul Skenes will be epic. It will present a challenge to the Reds’ lineup to find a way to get to Skenes.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
X: @mmm_sportnfilms, Instagram: @miguel_passionforsports and @themmmjournal, LinkedIn: The MMM Journal, TikTok: @miguelmikemedina
