An upcoming series against the Colorado Rockies, the team with baseball’s worst record, represents a crucial opportunity for the Cincinnati Reds to build momentum before the All-Star break.
The Reds are looking to solidify their standing for a second-half postseason push after a turbulent stretch. Following a 2-6 road trip against Boston and Philadelphia and an initial stumble at home versus Miami, the team saw its record drop from a season-high four games over .500 to an even 46-46.
However, Cincinnati rallied to split the four-game series with the Marlins, outscoring them 13-2 in the final two contests to climb back to 48-46.
“We knew it coming in,” said Thursday’s winning pitcher, Nick Lodolo. “It was a big homestand. Definitely not the way we wanted to start the first two games.” Lodolo praised the team’s recovery, adding, “Good response… The boys swung it well today, played great defense all around.”
The Reds’ manager also stressed the importance of the turnaround. “I thought it was really, really important,” he said of the series split. “We worked so hard to kind of get where we were, and then to give it back and now we’ve got to push. We’ve got to really push and then they’ll get a really well-deserved break.”
A sweep against Colorado would improve the Reds’ record to 51-46 heading into the break, positioning them favorably compared to their 47-49 record at the same point in 2024. It would also close the gap in the National League Wild Card race, where they currently sit three games behind the San Francisco Giants for the final spot.
The probable pitching matchups feature Cincinnati’s Chase Burns (0-1, 8.10 ERA), Brady Singer (7-7, 4.32 ERA), and Nick Martinez (6-9, 4.85 ERA). Colorado is expected to counter with German Marquez (3-10, 5.84 ERA) on Friday and Austin Gomber (0-2, 5.92 ERA) on Sunday, with a starter for Saturday yet to be determined.
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