Don't look now but.....Awe prairie shit, go ahead and look now.
After a 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Reds have the best record through seven games since the wire-to-wite season of 1990. Alright, technically the Reds were also 6-1 through eight games in 1994, but there was a tie mixed in. You may recall that there were no playoffs or World Series in 1994. It doesn't or shouldn't count.
This Reds' team has gotten off to a hot start. After dropping a game in which their ace starter, Luis Castillo, gave up six runs in the first inning to its arch rival St. Louis Cardinals, the team under cool, calm and collected manager David Bell have won six straight games with the successful combination of pitching, solid offense, defense and the most overlooked game facet, base running.
It isn't just the National League leading five home runs by Tyler Naquin or the four hit by Nick Castellanos, the team hge as been scoring extra runs by taking the extra base. They go from first to third often. Under Dusty Baker that ability made the team formidable in 2010 and 2012. Baker allowed Scott Rolen, who could never attempt to race Billy Hamilton but read the ball to the outfield so well that he was often able to take the extra base. This team is lead by Mike Moustakas, who is also not a burner but surprised fans by scoring from second base, Tuesday night by reading a hit to the outfield by Nick Senzel.
The run didn't mean a lot in the 14-1 game but in a tight game as it was at the time of the play, makes a huge difference in a 162-game season.
It is way too early to order playoff tickets but the indications for a magic season are in place.
The Reds got a taste of winning last season. After a bad start and their backs to the wall, they finished strong and won a spot in the playoffs of the Covid abbreviated season. Never mind the offensive collapse in the playoffs to the Atlanta Braves when they were shut out in both games. This team went into the off season with a plan.
True they lost Trevor Bauer, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers after a Cy Young winning pitching performance.
Those players who remained, Eugenio Suarez, Castellanos went into the winter with determination.
"I just want to win," said Castellanos, who has an edge when he is on the field, enough to already be slapped with a two-game suspension.
Suarez went on a diet and dropped 15 lbs, enough to make him quick enough to entertain moving from third base, where he became an All-Star, back to shortstop. The move allowed Moustakas to return to his natural position at third and opened the door for Jonathan India to earn the job at second base.
India has hit over .400 in the first seven games but more importantly has shown a skill for situational hitting, finding holes in the infield, hitting fly balls to score runners and driving in 10 runs.
"I love to watch Jonathan India play," Suarez said. "He just loves to play baseball."
Naquin has always had the ability. He was highly thought of as a player at Texas A&M. The Cleveland Indians made him their first pick in the 2012 draft. Naquin had injuries that held him back before he made the Major League roster with Cleveland in 2016. He hit 14 home runs in his rookie season but had more injuries that hampered his career after that. The Indians couldn't hold him but the Reds took a chance and a healthy Naquin has paid off in the first week of the season;
Jose De Leon has seized an opportunity and rebounded from injuries of his own to claim an opening left by Sonny Gray's aching back and Michael Lorenzen's shoulder. He won his first decision for the Reds after a successful winter league campaign.
The Reds and Colorado Rockies exchanged first round draft picks with the theory that a change of scenes would be beneficial for both. The Reds got a capable pitcher to help them wade through the injuries to Gray and Lorenzen.
Joey Votto hasn't had positive results from his change in stance and philosophy but has hit the ball really hard in the first week.
Suarez claimed that he felt his stroke coming back with a double in Friday night'a game.
"I felt more comfortable last night," Suarez said Saturday. "I'm not thinking about where my hands are anymore."
Jesse Winker worked on his foot speed this winter and by all accounts has gained a step this year to use on the base paths and to run down fly balls to left fiele.
Winker missed a couple games with sickness before coming back to get three hits in three at bats on Friday.
"He had some cramps last night," David Bell said on Saturday. "Maybe he was dehydrated from being sick and he was on base three times. He can play off the bench tonight."
Aristedes Aquino has contributed a pair of home runs from the bench when given his opportunities.
Tyler Stephenson contributed a home run to Wednesday's rout of the Pirates.
Veteran catcher Tucker Barnhart delivered the game winning hit off left handed Alex Young in the 10th inning on Friday. Barnhart was a switch hitter until the end of 2019 when he decided he would give up hitting from the right side against lefties.
With two outs and a runner on third on Friday, Barnhart poked a game-winning hit to left off Young.
"He lives on the outside of the plate. I was looking for a pitch that i could get the barrel of the bat on," Barnhart explained. "They still shift on me in the infield but I goat a pitch that I could take to left field to get the run home."
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