Cincinnati Reds‘ manager Bryan Price has to be licking his chops in advance of a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs.
The Reds are tied for first in the National League Central with the Cubs. Both teams boast a 5-1 record with all the Reds’ wins coming on a six-game homestand. The Cubs rolled to their 5-1 mark on the road.
Price is looking like a cut above one of the worst managers in Reds’ franchise history so far in 2016. All of the roster decisions and game choices have worked well with one exception that wasn’t Price’s fault.
Closer J.J. Hoover was responsible for the Reds’ sole loss. He entered that game with two outs and a 5-2 lead against the Pittsburgh Pirates to face Starling Marte.
Hoover surrendered a grand slam to Marte on a letter-high, hanging curveball right down the center of the plate. Prior to the slam, Hoover had shut down Marte, giving up just one hit in 14 at-bats with eight strikeouts.
The blown loss aside, the Reds have shown resiliency with a pair of walk-off wins. The team will need to hit on all cylinders against a Cubs’ team that reeks of destiny in 2016.
The Cubs were perennial doormats in the division not too long ago. Five consecutive fifth-place finishes from 2010-2014 had the Cubs in a prolonged state of baseball limbo.
Now the Cubs are off a 97-win season with no looking back.
This early chance to beat the Cubs may be the Reds best shot at the semblance of playoff baseball this year. The likelihood is that the early success for the Reds is a false spring.
More likely than not the Reds will be sellers before the trade deadline. More likely than not, the team will be trying to avoid 98 losses rather than vying to win 98.
The Reds started last year hot with a 4-0 start before losing seven of their next eight games. That shoe may drop again this year, but at least the Reds have made things interesting to start this year.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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