1. Jay Bruce is on fire.
A fan whipping boy at times during his nine years in Cincinnati, the Reds outfielder is currently the team's biggest subject of MLB trade deadline rumors. He's also doing plenty to jack up his value recently by homering six times in the last five games. His current .895 OPS would be the best of his career if he can maintain it.
2. Joey Votto has it going, too.
A slow start had some wondering if the Reds first baseman was getting close to finished, but he has regained the form that made him an All-Star in the not-too-distant past. Votto has a hit in all 12 games since the All-Star break, going 20 for 40 in that time with four homers, two doubles and 10 RBIs. He entered yesterday’s game with the second-best batting average in the league since the start of June then went 2 for 4.
3. Billy Ball is in effect.
The Reds center fielder had a nine-game hitting streak snapped Wednesday, but he is batting .340 (15 for 44) with 11 steals and nine runs scored since the All-Star break.
4. The bullpen has been… good!
After a historically bad first half, Reds relievers have been pretty reliable recently. Fangraphs has them tied with the Cardinals for the fifth-best WAR in the majors during the second half, and the bullpen's 2.36 ERA checks in at No. 9 if you prefer traditional stats.
5. Poor competition hasn’t hurt, either.
A weak schedule was certainly a factor in the Reds getting off on the right foot after the break as the Braves, Brewers and Diamondbacks are all in or near last place in their divisions. The just-vanquished Giants lead the NL West, but they have lost eight of their last 10 games. After three games against fourth-place San Diego this weekend, the Reds return home to take on St. Louis and Pittsburgh, two clubs currently above .500, so we will find out a little more about what kind of staying power they might have.
About the Author
