Don't call Cincinnati Reds 'spoilers' but don't sleep on importance of games down stretch

ST. LOUIS – Cincinnati Reds reliever Emilio Pagán looks forward to seeing old friends and old haunts this weekend in Minnesota, where he played the last two seasons before signing as free agent over the winter.

“A lot of good friends,” he said, “and some good memories playing playoff baseball.”

It’s that last part that makes the return bittersweet for Pagán, who expected the Reds and Twins to both be closing in on playoff spots by now instead of the Twins being the one relevant team on the field this weekend as baseball starts its final two-week sprint to the postseason.

And don’t try to sell Pagán or anyone else in the Reds clubhouse on the relevance of playing a spoiler role down the stretch, even if they might yet have a sizable impact on the Twins’, Atlanta Braves’ and Chicago Cubs’ chances, along maybe even helping to determine whether the Cleveland Guardians get a first-round bye.

“I don’t know anybody that ever talks about playing spoiler,” said Pagán, who’s been in the playoffs with three different organizations (1.80 ERA in 11 career postseason appearances).

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“I think the bigger thing is that there’s still a lot to play for – No. 1, because it’s our job to show up and do our best for the organization and the fans,” he added. “But individually guys want to have good seasons, and finish strong, for the young guys to try to establish themselves even more into next year and for the veteran guys to show that you’re still capable of doing it at a high level.

“At the end of the day everybody shows up and wants to win every single day.”

Only 14 of those days remain on the schedule heading into the Twins series following a 6-1 loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis on Thursday that handed the Reds their second series loss of this 10-game road trip.

“It’s huge,” center fielder TJ Friedl said. “Every game’s meaningful no matter what point in the season, but right now especially. September baseball, every game’s going to be meaningful, especially playing playoff (hopefuls) trying to get in, whatever it may be. Every game matters.

“We’re going to go out there and play every game like it’s our last and just continue to compete.”

The Reds are 7-4 this month even with the inauspicious start to this long road trip.

And their pitching has been exceptional against all odds with the entire pitching rotation on the injured list.

They entered Thursday with baseball’s second-best team ERA in September at 1.90 through 10 games, trailing only the Atlanta Braves (1.75).

Even after Thursday, the September ERA stood at 2.20.

“The standings are the standings at this point,” Friedl said.

But a strong finish is important regardless, he said.

“I think it sets the tone for next year,” Friedl said. “Sets the tone for everyone going into the offseason, as we go our separate ways into the offseason to train and looking forward to ’25.”

The Reds needed a 10-4 finish to avoid a losing season as they headed to Minnesota with a schedule of mostly playoff hopefuls left: at Twins (three), vs. Braves (three), Pirates (three), at Cleveland (two), at Cubs (three).

“I don’t think anybody ever wants to finish a season under .500,” Pagán said.

Whether they ultimately can do anything about it, they should at least have a second straight year of tasting relevant games down the stretch, even if most of their own relevance at this point has more to do with next year than these two weeks.

“Playing for and against teams at this time of the year when you’re in it or you’ve got a chance to be in it, there’s some added intensity and some excitement, definitely from the crowd, that plays into it,” Pagán said. “Playing in games that are meaningful at this time of year is definitely better than playing in games that don’t mean anything.”

Reds-Cardinals series finale notes

Reds outfielder Will Benson left Thursday’s game after getting hit on the fingers trying to bunt in the sixth inning. X-ray results were negative and he was diagnosed with a bruise on his left middle finger. “That was a scare,” Reds manager David Bell said, adding he expected Benson to need “at least a couple days” to let the swelling subside but might avoid an IL move.

… Reds swingman Jakob Junis, the Reds starter Thursday, pitched five innings (one run allowed) for the second straight start as an emergency fill-in. Those are his longest outings since he made 17 starts for the Giants in 2022.

…When Elly De La Cruz struck out his first two at-bats Thursday against former Reds starter Sonny Gray, it boosted his MLB-leading total to 196 and moved him into sole possession of second place on the Reds’ all-time single-season list, just ahead of Adam Dunn’s 2004 total of 195. Drew Stubbs set the franchise record in 2011 with 205.

...Despite losing the series in St. Louis this week, the Reds won the season series against the Cardinals (7-5) for the first time since 2021. They also are 7-3 against the division-rival Cubs with three to play but are just 3-7 against Pittsburgh and 4-9 against the Brewers.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Don't call Cincinnati Reds 'spoilers' but don't sleep on importance of games down stretch