RedsXtra: How last year's playoff run 'makes a difference' for the Cincinnati Reds
Bobby Nightengale
ST. LOUIS – Most Cincinnati Reds players learned what it was like to play a stretch of must-win games during their chase for a playoff spot last year.
The Reds had a 20-26 record with 14 games remaining in the 60-game season, three games back in the wild-card race despite an expanded postseason field. They had the fourth-worst record in the National League on Sept. 12.
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It’s no secret the Reds haven’t played well over the last couple of weeks. They’ve lost 10 of their last 16 games, entering Saturday, and they were fortunate they lost only one game in the wild-card standings. But players have maintained there hasn’t been any panic inside of the clubhouse, possibly aided by their experience last year.
“I think it makes a difference, for sure,” Joey Votto said. “We know what we’re gunning for. Now we have fans. Now protocols are much more modest, so we get to be closer to one another, we get to celebrate together. That’s what is on our mind.”
The Reds entered Saturday tied with the San Diego Padres for the second wild card. The Reds have 20 games left and the Padres have 22.
It’s a preferable spot compared to last year, but the Reds know they need to play better than they did in the last few weeks. They dropped their last five series, including three series against clubs with sub-.500 records.
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“What do I see?” Votto said. “I see this as part of the season. I see this as a good way to get ready for the playoffs. We’ve got a three-plus week stretch of games here that I think we’re going to play well and finish off strong.”
The offense has been sluggish without All-Star Jesse Winker, who could return in about a week in an optimistic scenario, but Reds pitchers have held opposing lineups to four-or-fewer runs in 16 of their last 19 games.
“It’s a long year,” reliever Mychal Givens said. “We had a little struggle last week. We don’t need to worry about that. We’ll leave it in the past. We’re going to continue to play good baseball. We have a great opportunity right now.”
An important part of last year’s run in the final weeks of the season is it gave a lot of players their first experience in meaningful September games. The Reds finished the 2020 regular season with an 11-3 record, earning the club’s first playoff berth since 2013.
The Reds were swept in the best-of-three wild-card series against the Atlanta Braves without scoring a run in 22 innings.
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“I’ve always said I wanted to win a World Series with the Reds right when I got drafted,” reliever Michael Lorenzen said. “That’s the goal and we haven’t really come close to that. Last year was the first time being in the playoffs my entire career. Obviously, I want to do that again and go beyond where we went last year.
“It is exciting playing for something in September, for sure. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and something I haven’t been able to do often, so it’s exciting.”
Shortstop Jose Barrero was at the center of Friday’s 4-2 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals, driving in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning. He had just returned to the active roster from the taxi squad and had only started three big-league games this year.
Barrero said he didn’t feel any nervousness. He knew what to expect from being on the roster last year.
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“It was definitely big,” Barrero said, according to team interpreter Jorge Merlos. “It was important for me to really get some experience last year, and I’m glad the team is winning. It’s giving us an opportunity to go back to the playoffs. And I know we’ll go back. Hopefully, I’ll be on the roster.”
Reds manager David Bell thought last year's playoff experience, despite the two losses in the postseason, would be something they could carry into this season.
"For most of us, we've all been through it together as a team," Bell said. "For the most part, it's the same group, so I do think it feels different this year. It feels more experienced. It feels a little bit more focused – we know what we're trying to do because we went through it last year."