Repeating As NL Central Champions Proving Difficult but Reds Hang in the Race

Woulda, coulda, shoulda.  If fans want to drive themselves nuts, you dwell on the tough losses to division rivals that occurred this past week.

If you are a competitor, you look at the situation with a glass half full attitude.  In spite of heart breaking losses on Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  The Reds are four games out of first place and in the race again.

At the All-Star Break last season, the Reds had just been swept in a four-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies.  The lost in 13 innings on Thursday night.  They blew a 9-1 lead in the ninth inning on Friday night and lost in 10 innings.  On Saturday night, Travis Wood, pitched a near perfect game but the Reds lost 1-0 in 11 games.  To top it off Cole Hamels won a 1-0 decision over Matt Maloney.

The Reds led the division had been cut to one game.

The gloom and doom fans pronounced the Reds dead in the water.  The lack of faith was magnified when the Reds were swept by its division rivals a month later and were knocked out of first place.

Fans backs were so sore from jumping off the band wagon that every chiropractor in town canceled vacation plans.

The team survived.  They won the division.

The stretch run preceding the All-Star Break this season has been just as trying.  Playing in the lair of the team with the best home record in baseball, the Reds lost three tough games and won another in extra innings.

The competition in the National League Central is even more intense this season with four of the six teams right there in the running.

The Reds play St. Louis in three games at home this time after the four-day break.  There are 70 games left.  40-30 would give the Reds 84 wins which could win the division this year the way the four teams are beating each other up.

The Reds hold a 5-4 edge on St. Louis, a 8-5 advantage over Milwaukee but are just 1-5 against Pittsburgh. Overall, Cincinnati is 26-19 within its division.