Youthful Reds turn to Tito, vets for guidance down home stretch

This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon's Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CINCINNATI -- It's the final week of regular-season games. Will the Reds be in or out of the playoffs? That's the only question that truly matters at this point.

A baseball lifer like Reds manager Terry Francona can appreciate a week like this as the club battles to secure the final National League Wild Card spot.

"We’ve earned the right to enjoy the competition. And I think that’s the best way to look at it," Francona said.

With five games remaining entering tonight, the Reds (80-77) are one game back in the standings after the Mets (81-76) defeated the Cubs at Wrigley Field. By taking the season series with four wins in six games vs. New York, Cincinnati holds the tiebreaker advantage.

The Mets, who had baseball's best record on June 12, have faded sharply throughout the second half and are trying to avoid what would be viewed as an epic collapse. When they beat the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Sept. 5, New York had a six-game lead over Cincinnati, with the Giants and Diamondbacks between them.

After Sunday's 1-0 win over the Cubs and a Mets loss to the Nationals, the Reds moved into a tie for that final NL Wild Card spot. But with Tuesday's loss and the Mets' win, Cincinnati lost control of the race, and Arizona beat the Dodgers late Tuesday to draw even with the Reds at 80-77 -- although the Reds hold the tiebreaker over the D-backs as well.

“It’s the position we want to be in. This is what we’ve worked for. We’re going to go get it," second baseman Matt McLain said before Tuesday's game.

Francona has led his teams to the postseason 11 times in his previous 23 seasons and has been to three World Series with two titles. He understands the feeling of a high-stakes game. And he lives for it.

"It’s fun, that feeling of being nervous and the anxiety," he said.

Veteran pitcher Nick Martinez, who threw 11 playoff innings with the Padres in 2022, also likes the pressure of having every game -- and every pitch -- be extra meaningful.

“I love it. I want it. It’s great," Martinez said. "Good energy to feed off of. Able to channel those nerves in the right way, helps fuel us.”

The front office made an effort to add veteran players with postseason experience in the offseason. The Reds acquired utilityman Gavin Lux from the World Series champion Dodgers and catcher Jose Trevino from the American League champion Yankees in trades and signed Austin Hays as a free agent. Others with playoff experience include Martinez, Emilio Pagán, Brent Suter, Miguel Andujar and Santiago Espinal.

That type of leadership is expected to pay off during a critical week.

“I’ve heard it in meetings and stuff like that. It is very helpful," Francona said. "The guys our [front office] have brought in have been really beneficial, and we know that. We have felt it since the first day.”

What are the upcoming schedules for the teams involved?

Reds: Two games left vs. the Pirates, followed by three vs. the Brewers in Milwaukee.
The Brewers have beaten the Reds in each of the last 13 series, 14 out of 15 and 17 of the last 19 since 2021. But if Milwaukee has already clinched the No. 1 seed in the NL by then, it will have less to play for and might rest regulars or limit their pitchers' innings.

Mets: Two games left vs. the Cubs in Chicago and three at Miami vs. the Marlins.
The Marlins are one of baseball's hottest clubs this month. The Mets are 5-5 vs. Miami in the season series.

Diamondbacks: Two games left at home vs. the Dodgers, three vs. the Padres at San Diego.
Of the three main teams in the hunt, only Arizona has to play against two playoff-bound clubs. They are 5-5 this season vs. the Padres.

For their remaining games, the Reds will find out if they can earn their first postseason berth since 2020. They haven't been to the playoffs after a full 162-game season since 2013.

Obviously, nothing is assured at this point. It might not be until all the way through Sunday's games.

“Honestly, we’re going through some stuff for the first time. So to say we aren’t is wrong. But it’s baseball," Francona said. "If they were asking us to go do calculus or something, I’d be scared to death. This is baseball. As long as it stays baseball, let’s go see if we can be good enough.”