By Mark Sheldon | July 23, 2023
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CINCINNATI — Being beaten by the Brewers on either side of the All-Star break could have been a wiping event for the Reds’ postseason ambitions. Instead, they made it a defining moment before the next showdown in Milwaukee.
The Reds completed a three-game win over the D-Backs with a 7-3 win at Great American Ball Park on Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park, extending their winning streak to five games after suffering a six-game losing streak – including four in a row against the Brewers.
“Astronomic. “It’s huge,” right fielder Jake Fraley said. “For us, routes like this mean a small fork in the road. Which way will we go?”
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In the National League Central, the second-placed Reds (55-46) are a half game behind the Brewers (55-45) after Milwaukee lost two of three games to Atlanta over the weekend. Now the Reds and Brewers meet for the first of three games on Monday at American Family Field.
“It’s really important,” said left fielder Nick Senzel, who hit a two-run home run in the second inning. “I think every series is so important now. I have a feeling this is the team we will fight with until the end. They beat us up. We look forward to playing them. We look forward to paying them back. We want to attack them again. It’s going to be a really big series.”
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The Reds are 2-8 against the Brewers this season.
“We know what we’re up against – they have a good team,” Reds manager David Bell said. “There’s no question that our players want that chance.” They want to be in that moment. They want to play against the best teams. They worked hard to put us in a situation where these games matter. There is nothing better than playing games when they are so important.”
Every time they have faced the Brewers this season, the Reds have won the previous series and come out strong on the other side after being thrown back by the crew. In June, after losing three of four home games to Milwaukee, Cincinnati took two of three games from the Dodgers, starting a 12-game winning streak.
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After their recent 5-1 win over the Brewers, the Reds shared a four-game streak against the Giants and then won the streak from the D-Backs for the first time since 2012.
Cincinnati, San Francisco and Arizona are in contention for the three NL Wild Card spots.
“If you want to be where you want to be by the end of the year — win a division, get into the playoffs, make a splash in the playoffs — I think you’ve got to face some adversity throughout the season,” Fraley said.
The series finale against Arizona ended 3-3 at the bottom of the sixth inning when Fraley’s one-time RBI double hit Spencer Steer in the right corner from first base. The Reds added three more runs at the end of the eighth, including Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s two-run single with loaded bases.
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Cincinnati led 3-0 in the first innings. Elly De La Cruz led at the bottom of the first inning against José Ruiz and hit a 3-1 pitch for a home run into right field – his fifth home run of the season and the first leadoff home run of his brief big league career. It came after a day off for the ailing De La Cruz, who is in a 4-on-39 phase.
Senzel’s home run with two outs and two runs to left field against Ruiz in the second inning gave the Reds a 3-0 lead. Arizona scored three runs and tied the game early in the fifth period. Corbin Carroll’s two-run home run into midfield against Reds starter Luke Weaver leveled the score.
Already a surprise contender after a 62-100 season in 2022, the Reds were put to the test after a 7-15 start to the year. Despite a period of rebuilding, the fledgling club grew together into a hungry group, unafraid of any team or opposing player.
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Since going eight games under .500 on April 24, the Reds have gone 48-31. But it’s their 5-2 record since their last game against Milwaukee that could mark another turning point going into 2023.
“More important than how you respond to wins is how you respond to failures,” Bell said. “I couldn’t wish for our team to do better. Actually, this all happened in a homestand.