Much has happened since I last posted. Joey Votto got hurt, Barry Larkin got inducted into the Hall of Fame and the Reds are riding a season-high 10-game winning streak -- which will allegedly cost Hall of Fame announcer Marty Brenneman his hair after claiming he'd shave his head if the club won 10 straight.
Since the All-Star break the Reds are 14-2 having swept four of its last five series, all but three of those games without Votto who is on the shelf with a knee injury. In fact, the Reds are 17-2 since July 6th. The last time a Reds team enjoyed a stretch that good was The Big Red Machine 1975 World Championship squad, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
The win streak started Thursday, July 19th when the Redlegs rallied from six runs down to beat Arizona 7-6. I was at that game and we may very well look back on that afternoon as the turning point in the Reds season. Remember, they had just lost Votto to injury that week after sweeping the Cardinals over the weekend. A loss would have meant dropping three of four to the Diamondbacks and dropping out of a tie for first with the Pirates.
Instead, the surge has pulled the Reds ahead of Pittsburgh (who have been equally hot since the All-Star break) in the NL Central standings, opening a 3-game cushion. Reasons for the surge? Pitching and defense, which have been season-long staples for Cincinnati. But with Votto out the team has gotten a lift from the offensive outburst by Brandon Phillips, Ryan Ludwick and Drew Stubbs. More importantly the team has been hitting over .290 with runners in scoring position, an area the team has struggled in even with Votto in the lineup this season.
It's by far one of the best times to be a Reds fan in recent memory. Is it a sign of things to come? Or have they peaked too soon? Cincinnati has done most of this damage versus teams with a losing record. In other words teams they should beat. Only time will tell whether this lasts into October.
We'll know more after next weekend when those upstart Pirates come to town. By then the non-waiver trade deadline will have come and gone and we'll know if the Reds front office brass felt they still needed to tinker with the roster for a lead-off hitter or a pitcher. Votto could also be back in the lineup by the weekend, which would certainly boost and already confident clubhouse. More importantly though, the three games with Pittsburgh will be the Reds first chance to seize control of the division. Cincinnati is only 4-5 against the Bucs this season. It's too much to ask for a sweep, but taking two of three at home would go a long way toward creating some breathing room down the stretch. Remember the last six games of the season are on the road in St. Louis and Pittsburgh.
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