The playoffs have started early for the Cincinnati Reds, who pulled aggressive levers all night to beat the Chicago Cubs and inch toward playoff spot.
As far as the Cincinnati Reds are concerned, the playoffs have begun, 10 days ahead of MLB’s official start to the postseason schedule.
A few minutes after the New York Mets lost to the Nationals in 11 innings Sept. 20, Will Benson singled home a go-ahead run for the Reds in the third inning of an eventual 6-3 win over the Chicago Cubs – the Reds’ fourth straight victory and fifth in six games.
That closed the gap on the Mets for the final playoff spot in the National League to just one game with seven to play for each team. And for those scoring at home, the Reds own the tiebreaker against the Mets.
Anyone who wasn’t sure that the Reds viewed this final stretch as their personal playoffs-ahead-of-the-playoffs got a glimpse of what October might look like for the Reds under playoff-tested manager Terry Francona.
On this night against the Cubs, starter Zack Littell was done after just 73 pitches and five competitive innings because – as Francona signaled following his last start – he wasn’t likely to see the third time through the order anymore.
Once the well rested bullpen took over, the Reds controlled the rest of the game, with the exception of a hiccup in the eighth of back-to-back doubles against rookie Chase Burns that made it a one-run game.
That was until Tyler Stephenson made it a three-run game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning.
Along the way, heating-up Spencer Steer hit his fourth homer in as many days, heating-up Elly De La Cruz walked, doubled and stole a base, and Francona aggressively pulled platoon levers at first opportunities to gain the edge.
That meant lefty-crushing Miguel Andujar pinch-hitting for DH Gavin Lux as soon as lefty Drew Pomeranz entered the game (and delivering a single) and righty Noelvi Marte pinch-hitting two batters later for lefty Will Benson (and lining out to left to end the inning).
Even the Burns move was part of the plan down the stretch to use the 100-mph rookie strikeout maker in two-inning spurts as an all-but-scripted weapon.
He wound up getting four of the planned outs, including a 1-2-3 seventh inning before doubles by No. 8 hitter Willi Castro and Reese McGuire.
Bullpen aces Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagán finished up.
The Reds trailed until their two-run third, making this their 32nd comeback win since the start of June – tying the Blue Jays for most in MLB in that span.
If the Reds beat the Mets for the third wild-card spot, they would open the official playoffs Sept. 30 on the road, likely against the NL West champion.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds beat Cubs for 4th straight, now one game behind Mets
Category: Baseball
