By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Morry Gash/AP
The Cincinnati Reds are heading for October Baseball. The Reds clinch the final playoff spot in the National League. It’s their first postseason appearance since 2020.
The Reds won the tiebreaker over the New York Mets, as they went 4-2 in their head-to-head record this season.
The Reds locker room was on full celebration mode on Sunday. The team enjoyed the moment spraying champagne. They will enjoy it for a short moment because they will return to the field on Tuesday night to take on the reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Reds and Dodgers face each other six times this season. The Dodgers won 5 of their six meetings. The Reds have been a team that struggles all season long with scoring runs. It’s a David vs Goliath matchup, but this Reds team can’t be counted out. They’re getting hot at the right time.
The last time the Reds and Dodgers met in the playoffs was 30 years ago during the 1995 Division Series. The Reds swept the Dodgers. Barry Larkin was the NL MVP that year. For the Reds to have success against the Dodgers, they must score runs, and they can’t let Shohei Ohtani get the best of them.
What can we say about Terry Francona? In his first season managing the Reds, he’s going to the postseason. Francona is one of the best managers in the game. In September, he made the right adjustments in using his pitchers.
Reds will need great pitching performances from Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo. Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer must lead their offense. The Reds have a shot to shock the world.
No. 6 Reds and No. 3 Dodgers will begin their Wild Card Series on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium on ESPN.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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