Reds down to 3 games back

Who could have predicted after the beating the Reds took at the hands of St. Louis that the team could bounce back so quickly and look to be playing the best baseball? The Pirates and Cardinals are beginning to take a fall mostly because of playing one another right now, and the Reds are taking advantage by beating the teams they should. The Reds have won seven of eight games, including a series win over San Diego on walk off Sunday fashion by Joey Votto and a sweep of the lowly Cubs. The Cubs never seem to have enough scoring prowess to beat the Reds, but they were able to battle for extra innings on Tuesday and the Reds were resilient enough to score two runs on a hit by Shin-Soo Choo and win 6-4.

The pitching has been absolutely incredible for the Reds lately. Bronson Arroyo and Mat Latos are easily noticeable in affecting the Reds in a positive way, but bullpen options like JJ Hoover and Jonathan Broxton have been pitching as well as anyone in baseball. Hoover's scoreless innings streak is starting to put him in elite Reds company. Broxton has given the Reds his classic closer stuff in a lesser role. Aroldis Chapman's fastball is still too tough to pick up for opponents and Sam LeCure is the best Red at getting out of tough spots. 

As the Reds head to Milwaukee, the team expects to continue to get stable pitching and use recent hitting spurts by Todd Frazier and Zack Cozart to guide them to more and more wins. Frazier is finally getting out of his deep slump with multi-hit games and even a homer in today's game. The three game deficit could become 2.5 with another Pittsburgh loss tonight. Watch out for a shift in the Central. This division could easily see the Reds looking down at St. Louis and Pittsburgh in a couple weeks. The team that plays best late in the season usually ends up with the best status in the standings. The Reds are defending champs of the Central and they are playing like they really don't want to give that crown up in 2013. 

Top Reds at the break

The Reds have had a 2013 season to remember. Cincinnati is now used to the Reds' winning culture that the Dusty Baker and Joey Votto era has cultivated for the first time in decades. The team is positioned in a decent spot eleven games over .500 and five games back from the first place Pirates. There are still many doubters as to whether the Pirates can maintain consistent winning and capture a division title. The Reds and Cardinals are the more proven teams, and with the Cardinals and Reds about to get healthier before the pennant race, it could come down to the last few weeks of the season for the MLB's most competitive division. The Reds have many contributors all across the infield, outfield, on the bench and in the bullpen, and on the mound, but there are five players that have stood out above the rest this season.

5. Aroldis Chapman-The closer has been lights out almost all season long. With the exception of a couple negative games, Chapman has been dominant in the closer role once again in 2013. He can still fire fastballs 103 MPH, and he has built upon his success with the slider this season. There have been reports recently that the Reds should trade Chapman. I don't care who the Reds could get in return, including Miami left fielder Giancarlo Stanton; Chapman should be untouchable this season in Walt Jocketty's mind. He is too valuable when the game is on the line and when something isn't broken on a team, don't try to fix it. I think the Reds organization is much more comfortable with Chapman in the ninth inning than with Francisco Cordero in 2010 when the Reds made the playoffs.
Stat Line: 3-3 2.79 ERA, 21 saves in 24 opportunities, 64 strikeouts, 1.12 WHIP, .175 opponent batting average

4. Brandon Phillips-This spot is really a toss up between Phillips and Jay Bruce, but I went with Phillips because of his quick adjustment to batting cleanup and his off the charts fielding ability. Phillips  is the ultimate adaptor to any lineup Dusty Baker puts out, and he has adjusted to the fourth spot perfectly by leading the Reds in RBI's and being near the top of the NL in that category. Phillips is on pace to easily set a career high in RBI's. Phillips has also embraced the city of Cincinnati and played the game with pure joy and enthusiasm. Phillips is a clutch hitter and playmaker in the field who has molded his game to rival what Joe Morgan did for the franchise in the 70's.
Stat Line: .266 AVG, .320 OBP, 12 home runs, 74 RBI's, 44 double plays turned

3. Mike Leake-It's surprising to see Leake as the top performer in the Reds' rotation, especially after a mediocre 2012 when his ERA was in the mid fours. Leake is tied for the team lead in wins, and is second on the team in ERA by pitcher who has pitched in more than eleven games right behind Sam LeCure. Leake has resurrected his reputation as a rising young arm in the game. Many have compared his savvy baseball mind and ability to hit the correct spots while pitching to Greg Maddux. Leake is well on his way to making All Star appearances and becoming at least a third pitcher in the rotation.
Stat Line: 8-4, 2.69 ERA, 117 innings pitched, 26 walks

2. Shin-Soo Choo-Choo is the best leadoff hitter Dusty Baker has ever had, and he has helped the top half of the batting order tremendously. Choo is one of the best all around players the Reds have in terms of fielding, running, hitting for average and power, and getting on base. Choo is a five tool player and his addition to the club along with the trade for Mat Latos last season has led to the Reds' resurgence to a playoff caliber team. Choo gets on base almost as much as Joey Votto, and his transition to center field has been virtually seamless with his cannon for an arm and above average tracking range for fly balls. Choo may be playing his final half of baseball for the Reds, but even if that's true, fans should just enjoy the remainder of his time in a Cincinnati uniform.
Stat Line: .287 AVG, .425 OBP, 13 home runs, 31 RBI's, 64 walks, 11 stolen bases

1. Joey Votto-Votto has returned to All Star and MVP form after being thrown off his rhythm with a knee injury in 2012. Votto has been the best in the big leagues at getting on base, and when he is locked in and seeing the ball well, no pitcher can get him out. Votto hit .388 in the month of May and it wouldn't be surprising if he was able to pick his average back up in August when the games really begin to decide who remains in the playoff race. Votto leads the Reds in average, on base percentage, and walks. He is seventh in the NL in batting average this season.
Stat Line: .318 AVG, .434 OBP, 15 home runs, 42 RBI's, 71 walks

Rich Hidy
Cincy Sports Spot

The case for a 2 inning closer

The Reds have lost some crushing games in the late innings due to an inconsistent bullpen. In the last 5 days, Cincinnati's bullpen has blown two games with leads heading into the final couple of innings. The extra inning games have not been kind to Cincinnati either. If the Reds want to win the NL Central Division for back to back years, they have to figure out a way to nail down wins after their starters are through.

Aroldis Chapman has been the team's most dominant reliever by far this year. He has only blown a total of 2 saves in his 19 opportunities, and when his location is on with his slider, Chapman is one of the game's toughest pitchers to hit. Chapman was originally training to be a starter on his road to the majors, meaning he has the ability to throw multiple innings in a short stretch of time. The Reds should use their best reliever in the bullpen in the eight and ninth inning roles to help them nail down some games that the weaker relievers have shown a propensity to lose for the team.

Chapman has the lowest opposing batting average out of any pitcher on the team with over 10 innings pitched besides Johnny Cueto at .175. He has had a great season in terms of control with a low WHIP of 1.03. Chapman has really developed into the pitcher the Reds thought he would be when they signed him for the 2010 season. Jonathan Broxton and Sam LeCure have not been able to handle the late inning roles with much consistency. Their ERA's are higher than they should be, and the runs they have given up tend to do a lot of damage in the tight spots in games. Chapman's ERA is tied for lowest on the team at 2.17, and he has been able to handle pressure situations with his team holding a short lead.

If the Reds want to break out of disappointing losses, pitching Chapman in the eighth and ninth innings is the way to go. Throwing a lot of pitches has not been a problem for Chapman. He hasn't hurt his arm due to overuse in quite some time.
Most of the Reds' starters have shown the ability to pitch through the seventh inning this season, and if the Reds can find a way to hold the other team scoreless in the eighth and ninth, they will soon find themselves 20+ games above the .500 mark.