Coming into the season, the Cincinnati Reds expected this week’s three-game series against the Atlanta Braves to have playoff implications. It was supposed to be a defining moment for a Reds team looking to prove it belonged among the heavyweights.
The Reds’ goal for 2024 was to win the division or at least make the playoffs, and they capped off a disappointing season with a 7-1 loss that officially knocked the Reds out of the playoff race.
A look at the pitch on Wednesday showed how much the Reds had lost their momentum this season.
“We know what kind of team we are,” said Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson. “We take responsibility. We’re expected to make the playoffs. We’re all going to be there this offseason.”
Ty France was first baseman and Santiago Espinal was third baseman. Both had good seasons, but Espinal probably should have started the year in Triple-A with the Toronto Blue Jays before the Reds signed him and France was optioned to the Seattle Mariners. Amed Rosario, whom the Reds claimed off waivers in August, came in as a pinch hitter and later provided the decisive end to the Reds’ season.
Jonathan India had his best season since his rookie year, but did not reach the level of performance the Reds expected from the injured Matt McLain.
McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Jeimer Candelario were all on the injured list for an extended period of time.
“You lose a lot of key players and it’s tough,” Stephenson said. “That’s part of baseball. (The Braves) have to deal with it. That’s the name of the game.”
Jake Fraley, Noelvi Marte and TJ Friedl have all taken a step back for different reasons. Fraley is in the midst of the most challenging year of his career. Marte’s suspension and the 80 games he had to miss prevented him from getting into any kind of rhythm. Friedl has been banged up all year. Will Benson, one of the Reds’ best players in 2023, has been benched.
Elly De La Cruz, Tyler Stephenson and Spencer Steer were bright spots, but they weren’t able to lead the middle of the batting order as well as the top hitters on teams like the Braves and Brewers.
For the Reds, the end result was a subpar offense that didn’t have much firepower all season, including Wednesday.
“You go into the season with expectations, especially considering how close we were last year. That hurts. We still have a lot of work to do in the offseason,” Stephenson said. “We all know that.”
Jakob Junis started Wednesday and was great, allowing just one run in six innings. He’s been a solid backup, but he’s only thrown 70 pitches. The Reds continue to feel the effects of having five of their top six starting pitchers on the injured list.
Reliever Tony Santillan replaced Junis to start the seventh inning and allowed three runs as the Braves took a 4-1 lead.
While the Reds have had some bad luck this year, the Braves’ luck has been much worse. And while the Reds are eliminated, the Braves have an 82-70 record and are fighting for a playoff spot.
The Braves lost one of the best outfielders in baseball, Ronald Acuña Jr., to a torn ACL, and one of the best pitchers in baseball, Spencer Strider, to a torn ACL. Both missed most of the season.
All-Stars Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and Reynaldó Lopez are all on the injured list.
On Wednesday, the Braves started with three players who were released by major league teams this season.
And yet the Braves have found a way to stay in the race.
Rookie Spencer Schwellenbach, who began this season in High-A, allowed just one run in six innings. Teams with developmental successes like this, better performances in close games, higher salaries and more depth have separated the Reds from their competitors this year.
“(The elimination) doesn’t change anything for us,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Obviously (the playoffs) are the goal and the only thing that matters. At this point, it’s not going to change our approach to the rest of the games. I’m very confident that the guys we have here will continue to play as hard as they have all year.”
