Cin City: How To Solve A Problem Like The Cards

The Reds must be wondering what it is they have to do to overcome the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013.

This weekend saw Great American Ballpark play host to the big showdown between the two NL Central rivals, with the Cards coming out on the right end of a 2-1 series score; and they did it in emphatic style. The fearless sluggers of Missouri absolutely crushed the Reds’ pitching staff in game 1 of what was undeniably a pivotal series for two teams trying to prove their worth in what is slowly appearing to be a more competitive division than initially suspected (thanks in large part to the Pirates’ latest surge).

The Reds capped this week off with a resounding 3-1 series win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, but still find themselves trailing the Cardinals. Taking a quick scan of the other two divisions in the National League, it would come as no surprise if the winners of the much-coveted wild-card spots come from the NL Central this season.

With just a little over a month left to go in Part 1 of this breathtaking annual 162-game chase for the trophy, the Reds and Pirates find themselves well clear of the trailing teams who are struggling to break away from the pack, with each of them pulling the other back down to the basement just as they think they’re about to make a break for daylight.

Looking through the Reds’ remaining schedule before the All-Star break, one particular series sticks out as a potential ‘first-half of the season’ momentum shifter. June 17th the Pirates sail into Great American Ballpark with a sense of confidence that they perhaps haven’t felt in June’s gone by. By this time many would expect the two-horse race to be in full swing by now, but the Pirates are sticking around, putting a lot more focus on the series matchup this week.

Highlight

Friday night the Reds took on the Brewers, just hours after having gone 14 innings with the Cubs in Chicago. The last thing Cincinnati wanted was to be involved in another marathon game, and luckily for most, Jay Bruce wasn’t willing to stick around. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Bruce stepped up and blasted the ball into the left-field stands as the Reds took the walk-off win 4-3. Interesting fact: Bruce is the only major league player to have hit a walk-off homerun in every season since 2010. Although the Reds will try and avoid extra-inning chaos as much possible, it doesn’t hurt to have a guy like Bruce with a record like that in your lineup.

This week

v.s Pirates: Mon,Tues,Weds,Thurs
@ Diamondbacks: Fri,Sat,Sun