Two weeks ago, I laid out the Reds’ road to come. The team had 12 straight games against over .500 teams and nothing less than 9-3 would prove their contender status. The results depended on three names: Tyler Mahle, Curt Casali, and Yasiel Puig.
Well, the Reds went 7-5, falling short of the mark, but swept the Astros and split with the Brewers. Instead of clarifying if the Reds should be buyers or sellers, the two-week gauntlet felt like a hedged bet. Tyler Mahle pitched one stellar game and another so-so one. Curt Casali cooled off considerably, but still outhit Tucker Barnhart’s 14 wRC+ in the same span.