Either the Reds are stringing together good at-bats, putting the ball in play and generating a lot of momentum, or the offense has been stuck in neutral. The Reds’ players and coaches have had a lot of conversations about what they can do to find some more consistency.
“We want to reiterate the fact that if you don’t get the job done, the guy behind you will take pride in getting it done for you,” first baseman Spencer Steer said. “That’s important. That’s what good offenses do. Pick each other up and getting the job when the other guy doesn’t. Trusting the guy behind you to get it done.”
Over the last three weeks, the offense has been trending in the right direction. Key players have started to settle in, and roles have become more defined. There’s still another step for this lineup to take, but the Reds feel like there were positive signs in recent series against the Cleveland Guardians, Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals.
At this point of the season, the Reds know what they have to do well. They also know what they do best.
“You see a lot of other teams hit home runs,” manager Terry Francona said. “That’s not exactly how we are built.”
The Reds are working to become more of a team that uses the entire field and works consistent at-bats. TJ Friedl, Elly De La Cruz, Gavin Lux, Spencer Steer and Tyler Stephenson have all made strides in that area recently.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
For the first time all season, De La Cruz is starting to get hot. He’s doing a better job of being ready for his pitch to hit. When that happens, he can change an entire game with one swing.
“He’s instant runs,” Francona said after a recent win over the Cubs. ”It’s nice to have two in the first without having to dive into three different bases. It helps.”
Steer and Stephenson have each shown a lot of improvement during the season after dealing with adversity earlier this year.
Steer barely participated during spring training due to a lingering shoulder injury. He was going to open the year on the injured list, but other injuries on the team led to Steer starting the season on the active roster in a DH-only role. For the first month of the season, his swing was off.
But in May, Steer has looked a lot more comfortable, is pulling the ball down the line and is hitting like he did in 2023 when he was named the team MVP.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“My at-bats have gotten better,” Steer said. “More consistent. I feel like I’m on time, so it’s given me a chance. I didn’t really feel like myself. It’s nice to feel like myself in the box again.”
Stephenson started the season on the injured list with an oblique injury and returned in early May. Like Steer, Stephenson needed time to get settled in.
“It’s hard to replicate games, situations and at-bats,” Stephenson said. “You do as much as you can. It’s different when you’re out there at game speed. You can try all of the rehab assignment stuff. It’s great. It’s reps. I feel like it’s not the same intensity as it is up here.”
Strikeouts were an issue for him at first, but he’s having a great week and has moved up in the Reds’ order as he gets hot.
“The strikeouts, it will get better,” Stephenson said. “That’s the speed of the game. I’m just trying to minimize that and hit the pitches I’m supposed to hit.”
The Reds are trying to embrace this offense’s identity by bunting more, and Francona’s message to slumping Reds hitters like Santiago Espinal and Matt McLain has been about doing the little things well.
The other big concern with the Reds’ lineup is what it’s done late in games. Entering this weekend’s series in Chicago, the Reds still didn’t have a comeback in a game that they trailed after the sixth inning.
“There’s no magic potion,” Francona said. “I’m telling you. It’s just baseball. Those things will happen. That’s not a lack of wanting to.”
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