CINCINNATI — I really like this Reds team. They are the kind of team that makes me, as a Reds fan, wakes up every day excited to watch this team play a baseball game. Because I know what I’m going to get is a team that’s exciting, talented, a team that fights, claws and rallies, never makes you feel like they’re out of it. And all these talented players on the Reds are also really easy players to root for. They’re really good people off the field. We feel connected to them. It makes it even better to see these players have success. Here are my thoughts from the Reds series win in my Weekend Roundup.
1. This team just found a way to win the game Sunday, taking the series in the process. That’s what this team is going to have to do all season: find ways to win. And I think this team is going to do that.
2. Resiliency is prevalent on this Reds team. Don’t forget that a lot of these players were with the organization, at the big league level, during the 100-loss 2022 season. They were here during last year’s slow start when the Reds were 7-15, 19-27 and 26-33. It’s like the lyrics to one of my favorite Journey songs: “When you learn to lose, you’ll know what it takes to win.” This team knows what it takes to wins because they are resilient. There are players, core players, who have seen this organization at its worst. That speaks to the pride they have in playing for the Cincinnati Reds, a team rich with history. It was on them to turn the franchise around, and they have.
3. You know who else is resilient and saw this organization at its worst? Tommy Thrall. I was thinking about this, but the start of his tenure as Voice of the Reds has seen rocky and uncertain times. He took over for Marty Brennaman after the 2019 season. That alone is daunting, replacing one of Cincinnati’s most famous icons and voices. Then COVID-19 shortened the 2020 season and brought about its own challenges. Then the lockout completely changed the landscape of the 2022 season, and the Reds lost 100 games. Then the implementation of the pitch clock impacted the way games are called on radio in 2023. My point: Tommy Thrall has had the start to his tenure as the Voice of the Reds be anything but smooth. And through it all, he’s persevered and gotten better. He has settled in and become a really good, and exciting, baseball play-by-play announcer.
4. I can’t tell you how great it was this weekend to get in my car and know I could turn on 700WLW and listen to the Reds game. And as a bonus, it was a beautiful weekend here in Cincinnati and Oakwood.
5. Elly De La Cruz was only 3-11 in the series, but I actually thought he had a good series. Don’t forget that Opening Day was his first in the big leagues, and he got on base twice and scored two runs in that game. He had hits in all three games, including a triple on Sunday. Yes he struck out five times, but I’m not worried about De La Cruz. He’s not used to playing at the start of the season. He’s going to get hot at some point. He’s too talented to not.
6. You know which player embodies resiliency on this team? Will Benson. Think about where he was early in 2023, hitting 1-25 to start the season and sent to Triple A. Now, he’s one of this Reds team best, and clutch, players. His home run in the ninth inning Sunday was his sixth home run in the ninth inning since June 7, 2023, the most in Major League Baseball in that span. Benson went 5-12 in the opening series with an extra base hit in each of the three games.
7. Jonathan India is not only resilient, but he may just be the heart and soul of this team. Think about his at-bat in the ninth inning Sunday, a 10-pitch at-bat that saw him foul off four two-strike pitches. There was talk all throughout the offseason about the Reds possibly trading India, which may or may not have been a bad thing. But you can never underestimate India’s toughness and what he means to this team. Not only did he have a double to jumpstart Sunday’s rally, but he also had a hit to jumpstart the rally in the eighth inning on Saturday that gave the Reds a 6-4 lead. He’s been the leadoff hitter in all three games, showing he can still be a table-setter in this lineup.
8. I’m going to say the bullpen was good this series. I know Saturday was a letdown, but they made up for it Sunday. Think about this: the Nationals only got two runs in four innings Sunday. One run came on a home run that was just out of reach for Will Benson in the seventh, and the Nationals only got one run in the eighth despite having the bases loaded and no outs. That was a gutsy effort by the Reds bullpen Sunday, and there were many other bright moments by Reds relievers this weekend. Emilio Pagan is a nice addition to the Reds bullpen, striking out two in a perfect sixth inning Sunday. Fernando Cruz had five strikeouts in two appearances this weekend. Brent Suter looks great in two appearances so far. This bullpen has a lot of good pieces that I believe will be a vital asset towards this team reaching the postseason.
9. Another aspect to this team’s resiliency: not letting Saturday’s loss linger. They immediately put it behind them with Sunday’s rally. They bounced back the next day. Following up a tough loss with a hard-fought win speaks a lot to this team’s resiliency. My mood after Saturday’s game was hoping Saturday’s loss wasn’t going to be the first of many losses that we look back on at the end of the season and wish they could have back. But Sunday’s win is hopefully one we look back and think about how crucial it was that the Reds won that game.
10. I’m not worried about the Reds baserunning. Is it frustrating? Yes. But, I’d rather these errors be made because of them being aggressive on the base paths as opposed to being conservative. This is still a young team, a team that’s learning. I’d rather them make mistakes by being aggressive than conservative.
I think of BYU Men’s Basketball. If you watched them play this past season, they were a three-point shooting team. That was their identity on offense this past season. They won and lost games based on their three-point shooting. Frustrating? Yes. But I can respect teams who stay true to their identity. Three-point shooting is aggressive, exciting. I want the teams I root for to be aggressive and exciting.
The Detroit Lions are aggressive, sometimes reckless. That recklessness may have been the reason why they lost the NFC Championship to the San Francisco 49ers this past season. But if they are going to lose, and this has always been the case under Dan Campbell, they are going to lose by being aggressive, biting kneecaps if you will. They’re going to go down swinging hard. That’s what they did in the NFC Championship. They stayed aggressive even up by 17 at halftime. They stayed true to who they are.
I understand the need to be smart while being aggressive. But I’m all about sticking to who you are as a team. I can respect teams who stay true to their identity, especially if it’s an aggressive, exciting identity. That’s why I’m not worried about the Reds baserunning issues.
11. The Reds starting pitching was good over the weekend, but I’m left wanting more. Hunter Greene is an exciting, hard-throwing pitcher. But I’m always left wanting more. More innings. More efficiency. Less walks. It’s like Aziz Bandaogo: an exciting player who is really good at blocking shots and rebounding, but I’m always left wanting more from him on offense.
That said, Frankie Montas was outstanding on Opening Day. The decision by Reds manager David Bell to start the newly-acquired pitcher on Opening Day was met with question, but it was the right decision. You want a pitcher who is going to be steady to start on Opening Day, pitch deep into the game, be efficient, allow the bullpen to not have to eat a lot of innings in game one. That’s what Montas won on Opening Day.
I thought Greene pitched well on Saturday, but he needs to be more efficient. I’m no baseball expert, but I wonder with how hard he throws if that makes it more difficult to place his off-speed pitches and to be able to throw them for strikes.
12. Jake Fraley may be my new favorite player. I’ve always said it’s Matt McClain, but Fraley is making a strong push. Then again, I always say my favorite Journey song changes every month, sometimes every week.
With Fraley, his baseline is a really good baseball player. But he always gives you more than his baseline. He hustles, plays hard, is tough as nails and is such an easy guy to root for. Think Hayden Hurst in a Reds uniform. Remember, it was Fraley’s hustle to leg out an infield single that got the Reds started en route to a three-run second inning on Opening Day. That was after working the count full in the at-bat. Plus, he finished 5-8 in the series with two hits on Opening Day and three on Sunday.
13. Spencer Steer is a player I sure am glad is on this Reds team. He’s becoming a really good hitter, and he gives this Reds lineup extra protection in the seven-spot. Steer was 4-6 with two RBIs in the seven-spot in the Opening Series.
On Deck: Due up for the Reds is a mid-week series at the Philadelphia Phillies Monday-Wednesday. The Phillies have been one of the National League’s most consistent teams the last two seasons, with a pennant in 2022 and an NLCS appearance last year. Their lineup is stacked with the likes of Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber. While they dropped two out of three to the Braves in their opening series, this is still a team to take seriously. Andrew Abbott, Graham Ashcraft and Frankie Montas will get the ball in each of the three games for the Reds with the Phillies countering with Christopher Sanchez, Spencer Turnbull and Zach Wheeler.
In the Hole: The Reds will be back home next weekend to take on the New York Mets. The Mets were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Weekend and have not made the Playoffs since 2016.
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 