51ºÚÁÏ

To that end, they held a team meeting after losing their first two games to the Cardinals in the Great American Small Park. Those defeats pushed the Reds to tje brink.

They responded by taking advantage of Andre Pallante and a Sunday Cardinals lineup to win 7-4.

“It’s not always the coolest answer to hear, but it boiled down to: ‘Stop trying so hard.’ Stop trying to force things and just kind of support each other," closer Emilio Pagán told . “You’re constantly trying to do more than what the game is allowing you to do. And it can get dark pretty quickly. There’s no way to hide it or run from it. It got dark for us there for a little bit. Today was a reminder we’re all in this together.”

The Reds crept back over .500, at 69-68, with the victory. They are four games back of the New York Mets, a team they host this weekend in Cincy, the wild card chase.

“From here on out, they’re all must-win games. Every day is as important as the next and the one before it,� Reds second baseman Matt McLain said.

“This has a chance to be a pretty memorable month for us,� Pagán said. “It’s not going to be easy. We shot ourselves in the foot a little bit and made it difficult, but we’re not incapable of going on a run. We have to play good baseball. If you’re trying to do too much, it makes playing good baseball that much harder.�

And . . .

You want the other teams to know that we’re still here. Obviously, we’re not going to quit. It’s been the M.O. of this team all year. We don’t quit, we keep fighting. I think we’ve been kind of written off by some people a couple of times and find our way back into it. That alone should help us for right now.�

And . . .

“It kind of feels like people are starting to write us off and saying, ‘The Reds, they had a cute little season, but this is what they do.’ [We must] keep fighting and keep going.�

The powerful Toronto Blue Jays come to town ahead of the Mets this week, so we’ll know soon enough if the Reds have staying power in this race.

Color Tipsheet skeptical, but manager Terry Francona has gotten the Reds this far, so . . .  

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while the Cardinals get a head start on spring training with all of these prospect auditions:

• Has the Arch Manning hype train come to a screeching halt?
• Is it too soon to speculate about the next head football coach at Alabama?
• On the other hand, can former Mizzou defensive coordinator Blake Baker get LSU to the promised land?

TALKIN’ BASEBALL

Here is what folks have been writing about Our National Pastime:

Bob Nightengale, USA Today: “It’s Labor Day weekend, and while the playoff races are supposed to get real in September, they’re all but over. Let’s be honest, the 12 teams that are in playoff position now will be in the postseason beginning Sept. 29, barring epic collapses. Really, all that’s left is seeding, and who gets the first-round byes. But as far as who gets into the dance, unless you believe the Seattle Mariners will choke and be overtaken by the Kansas City Royals or Cleveland Guardians for the final wild-card berth, everything is set. There are still division races that remain open like the NL West with the Los Angeles Dodgers leading the San Diego Padres, the Houston Astros over the Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays fighting off the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. But no matter who wins the divisions, they will all be in the playoffs.�

Will Leitch, : “When the Mets and Yankees struggled through the first half of August, you wondered if anyone -- the Reds or Cardinals in the National League, maybe the Guardians or the Royals in the American League -- would take advantage and try to barge into the wild card race That has not happened, and now that the two New York City teams appear to have mostly righted their respective ships, we might be in danger of not having much of a wild card race at all. Of the 12 teams currently in playoff position, all of them are at 90 percent odds or higher of making the playoffs. Seeding matters, of course, but it would be nice to see someone put together a late run to make one of these teams sweat a little bit. The Royals and Rangers have a chance, and don’t count out the Reds in the NL. But they all better get going quick.”

Michael Baumann, FanGraphs: “So the answer to the overarching question is no, there has not been a playoff race so settled this early in the season as this year’s National League. At least not in the past 12 seasons. There’s always been someone with some hope in each league, even in the two-Wild Card rounds, and especially in that hateful COVID-necessitated 16-team bracket from 2020. Not this year in the NL. Barely, this year, in the AL.�

Patrick Mooney, The Athletic: “The Chicago Cubs are finalizing a deal with first baseman Carlos Santana, according to sources briefed on the negotiations, adding a decorated player who was recently released by the Cleveland Guardians so that he could pursue a better opportunity with a playoff contender. Facing a deadline to establish postseason eligibility, the Cubs will gain a Gold Glove defender and a right-handed hitter with 335 career home runs . . . Santana, 39, has appeared in 30 playoff games for three franchises. That experience includes working with Craig Counsell, Chicago’s manager, while they were both with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023. The Guardians first placed Santana on outright waivers, The Athletic reported last week, committing to more of a youth movement while hanging around the edges of the American League’s wild-card race. In Chicago, Santana can complement Michael Busch, a left-handed-hitting first baseman, and perhaps bring some new energy to a lineup that has largely struggled since the All-Star break. With Santana, the Cubs will have an extra layer of depth for September and potentially October, giving Counsell more flexibility to rest players and find favorable matchups.�

R.J. Anderson, : “With Zack Wheeler set to miss the rest of the 2025 season, the Philadelphia Phillies are giving Walker Buehler a look in September. The Phillies signed Buehler on Sunday, the team announced, so he will be eligible for their postseason roster . . .  Buehler was officially signed on a minor-league deal and will initially report to Triple-A. Buehler, 31, pitched to a 5.45 ERA with poor under-the-hood numbers (5.88 FIP and 5.69 xERA) in 112 ⅓ innings across 22 starts and one relief appearance with the Boston Red Sox. They released him earlier this week and are responsible for the remainder of his $21.05 million salary less the prorated portion of the league minimum, which the Phillies must cover. Even without Wheeler, the Phillies have five starting pitchers . . . (Tajuan) Walker has been a pleasant surprise, throwing 101 ⅔ innings with a 3.63 ERA in a swingman role. He's made 17 starts and nine relief appearances, including nine straight starts given injuries to Nola and now Wheeler. It's unclear how the Phillies intend to use Buehler, though presumably everything is on the table. Short relief, long relief, swingman, starter, etc. If nothing else, Buehler brings big-market and big-game experience to a Phillies team with designs on winning the World Series, not simply reaching the postseason.”

MEGAPHONE

“It’s tough to talk about after a loss. But you think about that. Sept. 1, striking distance of the division: It’s where you want to be. And all the hard work in terms of one of the best records in the National League, it’s pretty exciting. You think about where we were in Spring Training and the aspirations of this ballclub and how we want to play, we’re doing what we want to do, and I still think we can play better. I think everyone believes that. That’s the best part about it.�

Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd, after the Cubs stumbled into the stretch run with a 6-5 loss to Colorado.