7 do’s and don’ts for the Reds in a 60-game season

The new format offers potential good and bad for the Reds, who will want to avoid some familiar pitfalls in order to do something they have not since 2013: Make the postseason.

1. Don’t start slow.

The Reds have made stumbling out of the gate a habit, especially the last two seasons.

While opening 1-8 was demoralizing to the fanbase, it didn’t necessarily eliminate the team from postseason contention last season. They were 13-17 and only seven games out of first place in the NL Central on May 1.

That is a fate they likely must avoid this season as erasing a seven-game deficit in 30 games is much tougher than doing so over 130.

2. Do remember how to hit.

After years of failing to rebuild the pitching staff, the offense was the Achilles heel last season.

The club’s overall slow start was mostly the fault of a punchless lineup that found itself in July only to falter again in the last two months as injuries took a toll.

To remedy that situation, club brass signed slugging second baseman Mike Moustakas and outfielders Nick Castellanos and Shogo Akiyama.

With Nick Senzel and Jesse Winker returning from season-ending injuries and a healthy Joey Votto, manager David Bell should have no shortage of bats to use. Will they come through?

3. Don’t hesitate to lean on the starting staff.

Shorter starts have become more common as advanced stats continue to overtake the game, but the Reds have some horses who could carry them — if Bell allows them to try.

The rotation of Sonny Gray, Louis Castillo, Trevor Bauer, Wade Miley and Anthony DeSclafani has plenty of potential, and there is less concern about them wearing down if they start only a dozen or so games instead of more than 30.

Leaning on those arms could also keep the bullpen fresh after it burned out last season.

4. Do use all those weapons to the best of their abilities.

Seemingly in rebuild mode since 2016, the Reds have spent a lot of time waiting for prospects to prove they aren’t suspects.

That led to growing pains that did not always yield results, but back-to-back aggressive offseasons have given Bell plenty of options for the pitching mound and the batter’s box.

Sure, he’s still got home-grown prospects Senzel, Winker, Aristides Aquino and Phil Ervin possibly ready to prove their promise, but they will have to produce to get or stay in the lineup with the bats that were added in the offseason.

And we didn’t even mention slugging pitcher Michael Lorenzen…

5. Do figure out how to get the most out of the bullpen.

Lorenzen, Amir Garrett and Raisel Iglesias give Bell the potential to have a classic seventh-eighth-ninth inning fireman squad — if he wants to go that route.

Iglesias struggled last season, especially when not used in traditional ninth-inning save situations, so getting him right might be the biggest key to the whole season for a team that projects to have an improved lineup and one of the best starting staffs in the league.

Veteran Pedro Strop gives Bell another late-inning option though he is also coming off a down year.

6. Do figure out how to beat American League teams.

This has been a bugaboo for the Reds for a while, and it’s a crucial one to solve this season with interleague games making up one third of the schedule.

The last time they had a winning April was also the last time they were over .500 against the Junior Circuit, going 15-13 and 11-9, respectively in 2013.

That was also the last time they had an overall winning record or made any type of postseason appearance.

7. Don’t hold anything back.

At times, Bell seemed to over-manage in his first season as a big-league skipper.

Sometimes it paid off, and sometimes it did not.

This year he has more experience to rely on — and more weapons to utilize.

While there is something to be said for letting things play out over the course of a 162-game season, he sounds like he’ll lean toward leaving nothing to chance this time around.

“There’s no question there’s more urgency. It’s almost like every game is a three-game series,” he said Friday. “You can afford to put more importance on each game. You always like to do that. We always want to take that approach, and the game is more enjoyable when you take that approach.

“In a normal season you want to balance keeping everyone healthy for 162 games and keeping everyone available as much as you can, so there will be less of that consideration and more emphasis on winning every night.”