Nobody predicted the Pirates and Reds would be vying for second place in the NL Central, least of all, Cubs and Cardinals fans. Everyone continues to berate the division and expects only the division winner to make the postseason.

Even if the Cards and Cubs bounce back to contend for the title, the Reds have looked far better than they have in the past five seasons. Don’t let the playoff appearance in the 2020 season fool you. With the goofy balanced schedule this year it’s almost impossible to locate weak spots in any team’s schedule. I’ve heard several people say that their club is facing teams that should result in some sort of winning streak-yet it never seems to happen. Teams look to get fat on specific opponents not realizing their are the weak team.

The Reds came to Wrigley and swept the Cubs and then took the first two from the Red Sox. After losing the series finale, they went on to lose three against the Brewers, and after taking the last game of that series, they took the first two from the Dodgers.

These losing streaks are unbearable for fans, but it least they’ve been winning along the way. The infusion of young talent appears to be the trick, but we’ve all seen how those bursts of energy are often short-lived. Sometimes you have to sit back and enjoy the wins and forget about the setbacks-especially when you are in a rebuild.

The ups and downs are harder to take when you’ve been led to believe that your team should be contending and not experimenting.