It has been an up-and-down second half of the season for the Cincinnati Reds. Five straight losses following the All-Star break knocked them out of the playoffs. However, an immediate six-game winning streak got them right back in the race. Then, August began with a six-game losing streak to once again send the Reds down the standings.
In terms of the larger playoff picture, it felt like Cincinnati kept kicking the can down the road. They weren’t necessarily losing any ground, but they weren’t solidifying their position either. As September nears though simply maintaining position isn’t good enough anymore.