Heading into rematch series vs. Cubs, the Reds are looking forward to another chance

“We’re playing good baseball,” infielder Santiago Espinal said. “We’ve got to go out there and compete every day. We’ll see them in Chicago. Hopefully we get that win.”

The first matchup against the Cubs showed how difficult the climb up the NL Central standings will be for the Reds.

The Reds felt like they had the game in hand with a 6-2 lead in the sixth inning, but the Cubs stormed ahead and scored 11 straight runs. The Reds took the win in Game 2 of the series, but then the Cubs rallied back from a four-run deficit in the series finale.

“Some lineups make you pay for mistakes more than others,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “This is a good lineup, and they feel really good about themselves right now.”

While the Reds have had trouble stringing together long stretches of success at the plate, the Cubs’ offense has been relentless this season. They’ve developed a young star in center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, and they traded for All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker.

The Cubs have a very deep lineup that has been especially successful late in games this season.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

“They put up good at-bats one through nine,” Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo said. “Every guy up there, they have a good idea of what they’re trying to do at the dish. You’ve got to make pitches and keep coming after them.”

In Cincinnati, the Cubs’ formula was working long at-bats and making the pitch count climb against Reds’ starting pitchers and then becoming more aggressive against the Reds’ bullpen. That approach made a big impact in the course of the series.

Hunter Greene only threw four innings in the series opener, Andrew Abbott threw 5⅔ in Game 2 and Lodolo threw five in the series finale.

The Reds have been at their best this season when their starting pitchers have gone deep into games and then passed the baton to a standout reliever like Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan or Emilio Pagán. Because the Cubs were able to prevent Reds’ starting pitchers from being efficient, the bullpen had to cover much more ground.

The Reds’ bullpen was taxed by the end of last week’s series.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

“We’re pretty careful about who’s available and why and we try to always work backwards,” Francona said. ”We just gave up runs. The whole series was kind of similar late in the game.”

On paper, the Reds have a starting pitching edge over the Cubs, especially with Chicago’s two best starters on the injured list. But Chicago’s approach at the plate was the great equalizer last week, and that’s something the Reds will have to adjust to at Wrigley Field this weekend.