Winning series is the name of the game

The Reds are a standout team at taking one game at a time. They don't stress over frustrating losses like recent extra innings defeats at the hands of the Cubs and Cardinals. Cincinnati is mature enough to realize that a single loss isn't going to hurt a baseball team in the long run. What really matters is winning more games than the other team in a series, no matter whether home or away.

The Reds do a great job at making sure they give the opposition their best shot in the first game of a series. That's the game that frames the remainder of the series. If a team wins the first game within a series, it can afford to lose the second game for a rubber match or the third for a chance at the sweep. In a 4 game series last week, the Reds won the first three games at Wrigley Field and lost the finale to only drop a single game on the road trip. 

Most fans get upset about the extra inning losses that this team suffers from time to time. In reality, the games the Reds have lost that way are the games this team doesn't feel much pressure to win. If you look at the majority of the series the Reds have played, the team has won a majority of the games, which is why the Reds have 42 wins right now. 

Cincinnati won't make fans' do a face palm in October. This team will do what it does best in a playoff series. Win the first game or two, drop one in the middle, and win the series.