The Hottest Team in the NL is the…Cincinnati Reds?!?

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Of all 15 teams in the National League, the only one that’s on more than a three-game winning streak is a team you’d never suspect: the Cincinnati Reds.

And get this, the Reds have actually won six games in a row and nine of their last 11.

Before their run, the Reds were 21 games under .500 at 22-43. Now, they’re hanging out with a respectable 31-45 mark. What has been most impressive for Cincinnati is the teams they have knocked off. During their recent hot streak, they’ve beaten three of their four main rivals — Chicago, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis — as well as the Royals and Tigers. Are they a playoff team? Probably not. But still, it’s a nice little run for a team that’s building for the future.

So what’s changed for longtime manager Jim Riggleman‘s club?

Well, there’s really two guys, one on offense and one on their pitching staff, that are largely responsible. Eugenio Suarez, their everyday third baseman, has exploded recently. For his career, he’s been a .260 hitter but he’s currently on a 13-game hitting streak with a bunch of home runs. During their 9-2 stretch, he’s gone 15-for-40 (.375 BA) with four home runs. On the season, he leads the Reds in home runs (16) and has a rock-solid .312 BA.

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It should be noted that the entire offense for Cincinnati has been on their game recently. Over the course of their current six-game winning streak, the team has scored 45 runs. How insane is that? That’s 7.5 runs per game.

As for their pitching staff, Anthony DeSclafani is the one guy really carrying them recently. And for what it’s worth, it hasn’t been with just his arm, either.

During their 9-2 stretch, the 28-year-old righty has won all three of his starts for the Red Legs — none of them yielded more than two earned runs. In his most recent victory — a 6.2-inning, three-hit gem — the former Florida Gators’ star also bashed a grand slam from the batter’s box. It was the first grand slam for a Reds’ pitcher in 59 years, per ESPN.

Besides DeSclafani, former All-Star Game starter Matt Harvey picked up his second win as a Red during their six-game streak. Harvey’s outing was one of the biggest wins overall, coming in Game 1 of their series against the Cubs and setting the table for victories in Game 2 and Game 3. He twirled six innings of five-hit ball while striking out six guys in a 6-2 win. Now, the Reds will have one more game in their four-game set against the Cubs. They play at 1:10 P.M ET on Sunday, June 24th.

Moving forward, we don’t know how much longer this hot streak is going to last. After all, the Reds already had one of these wacky six-game winning streaks early in the season before completely falling apart. However, they are a really fun team to watch with a bunch of young, hungry ballplayers. Let’s hope they can keep building and eventually become a contender down the road.

CATEGORY: MLB