The regular season isn’t the playoffs, but it sure can feel like it sometimes.
The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Chicago White Sox Sunday to win the weekend series. It was the Reds’ first series victory over the White Sox since July 2-4 in 2018.
Cincinnati stepped up to the task of playing the American League’s best team on Friday with a 7-1 win behind 5.2 innings of one-run baseball from Tyler Mahle. The right-hander bounced back from allowing three runs in 2.2 IP against the St. Louis Cardinals in his previous start.
Joey Votto reached base multiple times in every game over the weekend. He hit a double and home run on Friday, two singles Saturday, and collected three walks on Sunday. Votto became Cincinnati’s career walks leader on Sunday with No. 1,211 coming against Steve Cishek.
After a strong spot-start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 15, Michael Lorenzen retook the mound and picked up where he left off. He struck out eight batters – including five White Sox more than once – while allowing three hits in 4.2 IP.
Hello, Milwaukee. #Reds rotation vs. Brewers:
🔴 Mon: Luis Castillo
🔴 Tues: Sonny Gray
🔴 Wed: Trevor Bauer pic.twitter.com/1x38ryCGfw— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 20, 2020
Cincinnati now holds a record of 27-27, which places the Reds with the No. 8 seed in the National League should the postseason begin tomorrow. But that’s the thing. The season isn’t over tomorrow. The Milwaukee Brewers are the NL team in the No. 9 spot, which is one spot behind the qualifying mark for the playoffs. They enter Great American Ballpark on Monday for three games with consequence and momentum on the line.
The last time the Brewers and Reds met was Aug. 24-27 as the teams split four games at Miller Park. For the first time in 2020, the two will play in Cincinnati. Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, and Trevor Bauer have been announced as the starting pitchers for the Reds. Brandon Woodruff, Brett Anderson, and Adrian Houser will contest the Cincinnati trio of starters who have compiled 224 strikeouts in 170 IP.
🚨 Joey Votto has walked 20.64 miles 🚨 pic.twitter.com/HR27VvxNud
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 20, 2020
Gray will pitch Tuesday and come off the injured list with a strained back. He has twice pitched against the Brewers this season and went 1-1 in 10.1 IP while allowing four runs. Castillo and Woodruff matched up once already. Both starters went six innings and struck out at least eight, but Woodruff earned the victory after allowing two runs versus Castillo’s three.
Cincinnati and Milwaukee are in the bottom-six in team batting average throughout MLB. While the Reds rank tied for last (.213), the Brewers are several slots higher (.227). Whether the next three games will be a pitchers’ duel or sudden offensive battles or a mix of both remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure: playoff implications are on the line.
The first game of the series begins at 6:40 EST on Monday.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
