Cincinnati Reds close season with 83-79 record after beating Pirates in finale

PITTSBURGH – Summer came to an end Sunday when the Cincinnati Reds completed their 2021 season on a misty afternoon at PNC Park.

Nick Castellanos, potentially playing his final game in a Reds uniform, hit a game-tying RBI double in the third inning for his 100th RBI of the season. Joey Votto homered for the 36th time this season, a three-run blast in the fifth inning. Lefty Reiver Sanmartin permitted one run across six innings in his second career start.

The Reds closed the season, and the summer, with a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. They ended with an 83-79 record, missing the postseason for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.

"We didn’t reach our ultimate goal, that’s no secret," said manager David Bell, who agreed to a two-year contract extension in September. "Guys gave everything they had. To get through a Major League season and have the amount of success that individual players on our team had, to put ourselves in a position that we did, every single guy on this team should be very proud of that. We have a lot to look forward to."

GM Nick Krall:The 2022 budget is the first priority for the Cincinnati Reds offseason

'He always wants to play':Jonathan India impresses Cincinnati Reds with his toughness

Nick Castellanos:Undecided on opt-out, says 2021 was 'most consistent, happiest' season

The Reds were in the driver’s seat in the wild-card race after a four-game sweep against the Miami Marlins from Aug. 19-22. They moved a season-high 12 games above .500 and held a one-game lead for the final playoff spot.

Then it was a September collapse. The Reds dropped eight consecutive series and failed to capitalize on an advantageous schedule against sub-.500 teams. They lost 18 of their next 27 games. They kept the door open for the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that surged ahead with a franchise-record 17-game winning streak and ran away with the wild-card race.

“This was the first year I was legitimately sad when we were eliminated,” Joey Votto said. “Don’t get me wrong, last year in the playoffs, of course, I was disappointed. In years past, getting eliminated was disappointing. But for some reason, because I’m seeing the end, you know you have only so many opportunities. Also, I really enjoyed playing with these guys.”

It was a resilient group. The Reds were six games below .500 on May 29 before posting a 15-12 record in June and a 16-10 record in July. They swept the Cardinals in St. Louis. They took three of four games against the division-winning Milwaukee Brewers before the All-Star break.

Votto homered in seven consecutive games, missing a chance to tie the MLB record by a few feet at Citi Field. Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker carried the offense in the first half of the year and were selected as All-Star Game starters. Jonathan India moved to the leadoff spot and became the National League Rookie of the Year front-runner.

“Watching guys like India and Tyler Stephenson develop is really intriguing, it's exciting,” Votto said. “This is about to be their team. Watching Winker get better. Tyler Mahle, of course. I'm excited about the young players on this roster. Hopefully, they continue to develop and improve and take the reigns of this franchise.”

This Reds team fought through some roster shortcomings. Ownership chose to lower player payroll last winter, so the Reds traded closer Raisel Iglesias and released setup man Archie Bradley. The bullpen was a weakness for a large chunk of the season. They were fortunate Kyle Farmer stepped up at shortstop after failing to sign one during the offseason, beginning the year with Eugenio Suárez at the position.

A lack of depth showed up at the end of the year because of injuries and fatigued pitchers, which coincided with the team’s collapse in the final month.

This is an organization that pushed its chips forward when it committed more than $165 million in free agency before the 2020 season, signing Nick Castellanos, Mike Moustakas, Shogo Akiyama and Wade Miley. It resulted in a playoff berth in the pandemic-shortened 60-game season last year, but the Reds were swept out of the postseason without scoring a run in 22 innings.

Castellanos has an opt-out clause in his contract and can re-enter free agency this winter. The Reds have a $10 million club option in Miley’s contract. Moustakas and Akiyama have uncertain futures without clear paths to starting roles.

Now it's time to build around their young core of talent. India and Stephenson had stellar rookie years. Vladimir Gutierrez was a solid back-of-the-rotation starter until he fatigued at the end of the season.

The next wave of prospects arriving in 2022 will likely include right-hander Hunter Greene, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, and lefty Nick Lodolo, the No. 7 pick in 2019.

Summer came to an end Sunday, but the Reds are hopeful it’s just the start of their next chapter and not an end to their playoff window. 

“It’s really hard to make the playoffs with 80-85 wins so we’re going to have to play better next year,” Votto said. “The long winning streak by the Cardinals not withstanding, we’d still have to be closer to 90 wins to expect to make the playoffs. We’ve got to play better next year. I’m hopeful that we will.”