The Reds had hopes of allowing fans to see them play in person at some point this season, but that’s not going to happen. As of Friday, the Reds had nine games remaining, and six of them are at home. Although each game should be meaningful because the Reds entered the weekend in position to earn the No. 6 seed in the National League, the fans will be with the Reds in spirit only.
In some ways, that will be enough for the players.
“I think it’s big," Reds starter Trevor Bauer said. "Obviously, we’d prefer to have them out at the stadium so we could share that excitement with them, but our motivation from the beginning of the year was to bring that excitement and bring that inspiration to the city, to do it for the players in our locker room and the organization obviously, but that’s all tied into with the fans as well. It’s unfortunate they haven’t been able to be out at the stadium this year to experience it, but hopefully, they’re able to experience a playoff run for the first time in a couple of years. In 2020, with all the obstacles everyone has faced this year, that’d be a real nice thing for the people of Cincinnati.”
Trust us, they’re smiling under the masks. 😁📸 pic.twitter.com/YjZNaDGx43
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 17, 2020
To earn a postseason bid, the Reds will have survive a series this weekend against the Chicago White Sox (33-17), who have already clinched a playoff bid and currently sit in position to earn the No. 1 seed in the American League.
The White Sox are 8-6 against National League Central Division teams. The Reds are 6-8 against the American League Central.
The White Sox pitching staff has the third-best ERA in baseball (3.45). Their hitters have the second-best batting average (.272) and fourth-most runs scored (267).
Bauer described this as as an early playoff series.
“It’s going to be a fun series,” Bauer said. “They’re a very talented team. They’re having a great season. These are the types of teams we’re going to be facing in the playoffs.”
The Reds did not play Thursday but moved into second place in the division. They were a half game in front of the St. Louis Cardinals (22-24), who lost 5-1 to the Pirates. The Cardinals play four more games against the last-place Pirates this weekend.
The Reds will watch those scores and also keep their eyes on the San Francisco Giants (25-24) and Philadelphia Phillies (24-25), who have a slight edge over the Reds and Cardinals in the wild-card race.
For Bauer, all three games this weekend plus the two series next week against the Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins, will be exciting.
“We have three series left,” Bauer said. “They’re all going to be big. It’s a really tight race for second in the division and also for the wild card. A lot of talented teams are bunched together. Hopefully, we can come out on top. Every game means a ton right now.”
That’s new for the Reds, who haven’t advanced to the playoffs since 2013 and haven’t come close to contending for a postseason berth since then.
“There’s definitely an underlying joy to playing in meaningful games,” manager David Bell said. “There truly is nothing like it. It’s important to players, coaches and anyone involved to enjoy it. You don’t always get that opportunity, and you don’t know when you’ll have another one. On the other side of that, at this time more than ever, it’s important to stay focused on what you’re doing and not change things or think differently or get distracted. It’s even more important to stay focused and minimize those distractions.”
NOTES: Third baseman Eugenio Suarez returned from the three-day paternity list Friday. The Reds optioned reliever R.J. Alaniz to the alternate site. Outfielder Nick Williams cleared waivers and was sent to the alternate site. ... Bell announced Tyler Mahle, Bauer and Michael Lorenzen will start the three games against the White Sox. He hopes to get starter Sonny Gray back from the injured list next week, possibly as soon as the Brewers series, which starts Monday.
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