Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) looks on from the dugout in the ninth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The Reds lost 8-3. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cincinnati Reds Must Have Major Sense of Urgency After 3-3 Start

Originally posted on Cincinnati Reds on SI
By Alex Frank | Last updated Apr 3, 2026 3:22 PM ET

It's been said you can't win the pennant in April, but you can lose it. Teams should always play to win, rather than play not to lose. That's what makes April a double-edged sword. The Major League Baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint.

Even if a particular team sprints out of the gate to a sizzling start, it doesn't always mean they will win the pennant—unless you're the 1998 New York Yankees. Fun fact: they started 1-4 that season.

So how do the Reds, in this particular case, play this double-edged sword? With a sense of urgency. It's a sense of urgency that keeps two things in mind: Yes, they're playing to win every single day. But they're also coming with a sense of urgency, by playing to win every single day, in knowing they have to position themselves well going into May. April is about teams positioning themselves going into May, which is the month where you really start to see the contenders separate from the pretenders. By Memorial Day, there's a pretty good sense of who the contenders are as opposed to the pretenders.

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The Reds have a managebale schedule in April. First of all, they don't play any more division games until the first weekend of May. Only one team the Reds play in April, the Detroit Tigers on April 24-26, finished above .500 last season. That means the opportunity to position themselves going into May is very much there for the Reds.

A schedule is only as easy you make it. The Reds still have to win these games. They have to take advantage of the situation. Dropping two out of three to the Pirates isn't a good start. Not to mention, their bullpen had already had to work a lot of innings, and Nick Lodolo left Thursday night's game with a blister. That will delay his return.

There is still enough talent on this Reds team to win games, but another slow start, like the 3-7 start they got off to in 2025 or the 7-15 start in 2023 will handicap how many games they can win across the full season.

They must have a sense of urgency going into Friday's matchup against the Rangers. The Reds need to get back to winning games after losing two-straight and finish this month with a winning record.

This article first appeared on Cincinnati Reds on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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