The red-hot Milwaukee Brewers have surged to the top of the NL Central, but the Chicago Cubs—boasting a strong 65-46 record—remain one of the top forces in Major League Baseball this season. They currently hold the top NL Wild Card spot, 3.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres, who sit in the final Wild Card position.
That’s the team the Cincinnati Reds are chasing. Cincinnati just wrapped up a frustrating 48-hour skid in the Speedway Classic against the Atlanta Braves, dropping the series to their old NL West foes. The Reds looked out of sync all weekend—missing TJ Friedl (on paternity leave), dealing with unusual logistics as one of the few teams playing on trade deadline day, and juggling an odd schedule that included a Friday day game and rain-induced roster shuffling. They were granted a 27th player for Saturday, which weather turned into a Sunday addition, and only now do they have their post-deadline roster intact.
That finalized group includes newcomers Zack Littell and Miguel Andujar, joining Ke’Bryan Hayes on the active roster, while Will Benson, Lyon Richardson, and Connor Joe have been optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Now, it’s time to see what the front office—led by Nick Krall—has assembled, and whether this version of the Reds can make a late push for October at the expense of the mighty Cubs.
Monday night kicks off a critical series at Wrigley Field. Nick Lodolo takes the mound for Cincinnati, while the Cubs counter with newly acquired Mike Soroka—who the Reds saw just two weeks ago when he was still pitching for the Nationals. Littell will start Tuesday’s game, followed by Andrew Abbott in Wednesday’s matinee finale.
It’s a classic NL Central clash at a buzzing Wrigley Field, with both teams fighting for everything in August. This is the kind of baseball that made me fall in love with the game—and I can’t wait to see it play out.
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