Reds' first-half superlatives with 81 games down

New York Times

2 days ago

CINCINNATI — Tuesday's Cincinnati Reds victory over the New York Yankees showcased all the reasons for optimism for this year's team, with an electric pitching performance from Chase Burns, the perfect moves from manager Terry Francona and late-inning heroics ending in Gavin Lux's walk-off single.
As exciting and well-played as Tuesday's game was, Wednesday's performance put a damper on the mood with a sloppy performance in a 7-1 loss to the New York Yankees.
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Even though the Reds took the series from the Yankees — their fifth series win in their last six — they failed to complete the sweep. It was the eighth time this season the Reds won the first two games in a three-game series and the fifth time they lost that third game.
Wednesday was also the team's 81st game, marking the midpoint of the 2025 season. With 81 down and 81 to go, the Reds sit three games over .500 at 42-39, 5 1/2 games behind the National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs and three games out of the NL's third wild-card spot. Two teams stand between the Reds and the current holders of the third wild-card spot, the Milwaukee Brewers.
It's a natural time to take stock of just where the team stands heading into the second half of the season.
De La Cruz has had his struggles defensively, leading Major League Baseball with 12 errors, but he has also made more spectacular plays than errors. Even Wednesday, he couldn't handle a grounder by the Yankees' Jasson Domínguez in the fifth inning, but then he made a fantastic diving stab and throw the next inning to retire Ben Rice.
De La Cruz is cementing his reputation as baseball's must-see talent, but consistency is still needed to be considered among the elite players.
The 23-year-old is making those strides. He has continued to lower his strikeout rate from 33.7 percent as a rookie to 31.3 percent last season and just 25.4 percent this season. His walk rate is 9.7 percent, not far from the 9.9 percent walk rate he had last season. After going 2-for-4 on Wednesday, De La Cruz is hitting .277/.351/.511 with a team-high 18 home runs.
De La Cruz isn't stealing, or attempting to steal, at the same rate he did in his first two years, but only four players in baseball have more steals. MLB's Statcast rates him as the best base runner in the league.
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There are still warts to De La Cruz's game, but to focus on what he's not doing and ignore what he is doing is foolish and looking for coal in a gold mine. De La Cruz is taking steps forward and moving toward becoming perhaps the best player in the game.
On a staff that features a pair of pitchers who were taken second in their drafts (Hunter Greene, Burns), another two taken seventh (Nick Lodolo, Rhett Lowder), another first-rounder (Brady Singer) and then the team's highest-paid player (Nick Martinez), it's the left-handed Abbott who has been the team's best and maybe even the league's best.
After missing the first two weeks with a left rotator cuff strain, the team's second-round pick from the 2021 MLB Draft has been as good as anyone in baseball. His 75 1/3 innings aren't enough to qualify him for the ERA title, but no pitcher with as many innings as he has this year has a better ERA than his 1.79.
The Reds are 10-3 in his 13 starts, and he is 7-1. In Abbott's start after his lone loss, June 4 against the Brewers, he threw a shutout in Cleveland against the Guardians, recording his first career complete game.
With Greene expected to return sometime around the All-Star break, the rotation looks to continue to be its strength.
With baseball's best hitter at the plate in the eighth inning of a tie game Tuesday night, Francona called for the 25-year-old Richardson to face Aaron Judge.
Richardson, who made four starts for the Reds in 2023 and one relief appearance in 2024, came in and induced a groundball to end the inning. He came back out for the ninth, and after giving up a single to start the inning, he got a flyout and a pair of punchouts.
Although the Reds had a depleted bullpen and Francona didn't have much choice, Richardson got the job done. This season, he has appeared in 20 games and has a 1.85 ERA with 20 strikeouts and eight walks over 24 1/3 innings.
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The Reds went into spring training with no question about who their closer was, and they left Goodyear with no idea, as Alexis Díaz, an All-Star in 2023, struggled after a hamstring injury and stayed in Arizona to regain his form.
On Opening Day, Francona gave the first shot at closing to Ian Gibaut. An out from earning the save against the San Francisco Giants, Gibaut gave up a tying single and then a three-run homer in a loss. The next day, the Reds once again led 3-2 going into the ninth inning. This time, Francona went with Pagán, who retired the Giants in order for the Reds' victory and the first of his 18 saves.
Pagán, who signed a one-year deal with a mutual option before the 2024 season, exercised his option to stay with the team this season. It turned out to be a good thing for him and the Reds.
Though he hasn't been perfect, he has been good and a steady presence in the bullpen, no matter what role he has been asked to fill.
Friedl's breakout season in 2023 was overshadowed by the excitement around De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Noelvi Marte and the rest of the kiddie corps, but he put up a 3.6 bWAR and solidified himself as a reliable leadoff man against left-handers and right-handers.
Last spring, Friedl suffered a right wrist fracture diving for a ball in spring training and missed the first month of the season. In just his sixth game back, his thumb was broken during the first pitch of a game against the San Francisco Giants. He played in 20 games before suffering a right hamstring strain.
Though his third IL stint was his last, he was never healthy, and the hamstring seemed to take away some of his speed, also nullifying one of his best weapons: his bunting.
Healthy this season, the 29-year-old has been even better than he was in 2023. He's hitting .287/.372/.426, and his eight home runs are the third most on the team. According to Baseball Savant, Friedl is in the 94th percentile in base running, the 84th percentile in batting run value and the 76th percentile in fielding run value.
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The Reds traded for the former Platinum Glove winner this offseason, and before spring training was over, they had signed him to an extension.
Trevino was expected to back up Tyler Stephenson, but when Stephenson started the season on the IL, Trevino moved into the starting spot and flourished.
Though Trevino was heralded for his defense and work with pitchers — both of which have been borne out — he has been among the team's best offensive players, hitting .298/.337/.490.
Much of last season's struggles were pinned on injuries, and no injury seemed to sting as much as the season-ending shoulder injury McLain suffered in spring training.
Though McLain was overshadowed by De La Cruz during their rookie year, he was perhaps the team's best position player in 2023.
A healthy McLain seemed like the key to a bounce-back season for the team. McLain was slotted into the second spot in the lineup between Friedl and De La Cruz, a lineup construction that paid dividends two years ago.
But McLain was not the same player at the plate for the first two months of the season. At the end of May, the 25-year-old second baseman was hitting just .194 and had been moved to the bottom of the order.
Francona said the fact that McLain never let his struggles at the plate impact the other parts of his game and his ability to keep an even keel was enough for the first-year manager to stick by him.
Since the start of June, McLain has started to turn it on, hitting .257/.350/.429 in 21 games this month, and Francona has moved him back to the No. 2 spot in the order.
(Photo of Elly De La Cruz: Jason Miller / Getty Images)