WEEKEND ROUND-UP: Did the Reds Do Enough in New York to Prove They’re Contenders?

CINCINNATI -- In the previous two seasons in which the Reds had a winning record coming out of the All-Star Break, 2021 and 2023, they were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in their first series in the second half of the regular season.

This season, at 50-47 coming out of the All-Star Break, the Reds won their first two games at the New York Mets this weekend to win the series. Given that the Mets were 33-14 at home, the best home record in Major League Baseball coming into this weekend, winning two out of three in their ball park is a good thing. The Reds are off to a winning start to the second half of the regular season.

However, I'm left wondering this Monday morning if they could have done more this weekend. After taking the first two games, the Reds sent their ace and All-Star left-hander, Andrew Abbott, to the mound Sunday afternoon to try for a sweep.

Abbott pitched six solid innings, but a late run by the Mets in the bottom of the eighth broke a 2-2 tie. The Mets went on to win 3-2 to salvage a game in the series and keep the Reds four games over .500 as they head to Washington this week.

Look, taking two out of three from the Mets is good. That's winning the series on the road, the first series after the All-Star Break. Given what previous Reds teams have done after the All-Star Break, this team is off to a solid start. The last time the Reds truly got off to a strong start out of the All-Star Break was in 2012, the last time they won the National League Central.

That season, the Reds swept the St. Louis Cardinals and then went on a 10-game winning streak at the end of July. Those were catalysts towards overtaking the Cardinals and winning the NL Central with 97 wins.

Does this Reds team have enough momentum to go on a run like that 2012 team? They've won six of their last eight games, which is good. However, it still feels like this team has steps to take as far as how much momentum they can generate. The Reds finally got to five games over .500 this season with their win on Saturday, but they lost Sunday with their ace on the mound. Given, it was a late run the Mets scored to win the game. But still, if this team is serious contenders, they have to take a step forward and keep advancing further into the playoff picture.

We're now 100 games into the season, as hard as that is to believe. That means there ae just 62 games remaining. Every one of the 162 games counts, but these next 62 count just a little more. Will the Reds be a serious contender in the NL Wild Card race? Or, will the Reds be just another team in the pennant race?

Look at the Milwaukee Brewers. They're starting to separate themselves to the front of the Wild Card race having won 10 straight games. Not only that, they're tied with the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central.

Speaking of the Chicago Cubs, they also keep winning games. They just took two out of three from the Boston Red Sox, who entered the series on a 10-game winning streak themselves.

Teams are going for it across Major League Baseball. They're winning games and going on lengthy winning streaks. The Cubs and Brewers are starting to separate themselves, while the Padres are still 2.5 games in front of the Reds for the third wild card.

Taking two out of three from the Mets, who currently hold the second wild card, and doing it on the road is good. But missing out on an opportunity to sweep the Mets, with your ace on the mound Sunday, puts the Reds right back to where they started the series in New York at 2.5 games out of the third NL Wild Card.

The Reds haven't played their best baseball yet, and they're still in the thick of the NL Wild Card race in late July. But there are only 62 games remaining, which means time is starting to run short on the Reds to go on a lengthy winning streak.

They have the talent to do it, and manager Terry Francona has proven his ability to lead teams to big success second half of the regular season. If they can gon on a lengthy winning streak, they will be a serious contender in the pennant race.