When 5th Place Isn't a Death Sentence

There's been a habit this year of last-place teams fighting back and attempting to catch up to the next possible contender. The Padres have won a bunch and are trying to lap the Rockies and Giants. The Marlins are trying to catch the Mets. The Rangers are...dangerously close to lapping the Angels.

And then you have the Cincinnati Reds. Who took the month of June and became one of the most dangerous 5th place teams in baseball. They were taking down the Royals, the Cubs, the White Sox, the Braves, the Brewers. All these midwest teams, many of which were actually doing pretty well. And down they all went. Why? Because as bad as the Reds' record is, and as hit-miss as the pitching may be...the Reds' lineup is pretty deadly.

Eugenio Suarez, Scooter Gennett and Joey Votto are all All Stars, and they all deserve it. They've been playing beautifully this year. If it weren't for JT Realmuto, I'd even suggest Tucker Barnhart as well. Or even Scott Schebler, who shook off a disappointing 2017 and started hitting for power like it was his business.

Even guys like Adam Duvall, who's never been great at hitting for average, or Jose Peraza, who's a better defensive player, or even backup catcher Curt Casali...have all been playing really well. Hell, Jesse Winker's not starting everyday, but he's a fantastic clutch hitter.

Plus, for the first time in a WHILE, they actually have a reliable ace in Tyler Mahle. He can get a ton of strikeouts, win games, and go several innings without showing a ton of wear. And yes, Luis Castillo and Matt Harvey are both alright, but Mahle might be for real. And on a better team, he'd be a solid arm to have. And...I must once again reiterate how powerful of a closer Raisel Iglesias can be. Aroldis Chapman would be proud.

So many pieces of this team are not only good, they're GREAT. And although a lot of the rotation is still disappointing, and although the bench needs a bit of work, this is still a team that could be dangerous if competitors, like, say, the Pirates, slip up any more. I could be wrong, and some players could be dealt this month, but...after June? Maybe this team has a chance to become huge sometime soon.

Coming Tomorrow- One of the more satisfying first time ASG nominees out there.

All Home Runs, No Pitching

The Reds have three guys right now hitting more than 13 home runs. Joey Votto, Adam Duvall, and Scott Schebler are all hitting beautifully. Eugenio Suarez, Zack Cozart and Billy Hamilton are playing similarly well. The lineup of the Cincinnati Reds is actually one of the team's strengths, and knows how to shut down a fastball.

And it's still their own pitching staff that stops them from running right into the bulk of the division race. Because while Scott Feldman is pitching pretty well, nobody else on that rotation is either pitching well or healthy. It's actually become quite sad. They have no roster depth, and they're just going through proposed starters like potato chips. I mean, the LINEUP prospects are doing rather well, but they have no good pitching prospects, or none that have succeeded in staying in the leagues for more than a start.

The Reds league the league in Earned Runs, and if the Philadelphia Phillies weren't as god awful as they've become this decade, they'd be leading the league in home runs allowed as well. The pitching has become legitimately awful, and it's stopping the Reds from becoming a truly great team.

Not much that can be done, unless the Reds have arms waiting in the wings that we don't know about.

Coming Tonight: One of the best second basemen in the game, on the best team in baseball.