How did the cellar dwelling Redlegs claw their way back into the thick of the midseason? The Reds were sitting at 19-28 in the bottom of the NL Central and looking like a sure-fire lost cause. Hitters weren’t. Pitchers couldn’t do enough to back up 2 runs or fewer. But then May 24th hit and “They let the Reds get Hot.”

Sure, they had a 7 game win streak. Sure, they’ve won 4 of 5 series since May 24th, with a 12-4 record in those games. But they did this with the tenacity of the ’23 Rally Reds. Most notable in their 12-7 heart-throbbing steal of a win on June 5th in Colorado.

7 game win streak

The Reds won 7 straight against the Cubbies and Rockies. And, while the team as a whole was productive, one of the most impressive moments was in the 9th inning June 5th. Down 7-6 and on their last out, Spencer Steer stepped into the box, TJ Friedl is on, but Steer had already missed three opportunities with runners in scoring position earlier in the game. He took a first pitch fast ball low for strike one. And then he turned on an upper half 96-MPH fastball for a 439 ft home run and the lead. India would add the electric grand slam four batters later, but Steer’s impressive 1-5 day is the epitome of this Reds team that can win throughout the season.

Over the streak, the Reds scored an MLB best 49 runs- 11 better than the next most productive team- and their .310/.372/.517 line were all the top of the league. The Running Redlegs still did it on the base paths, swiping 8 bags during their streak. Only San Diego and Toronto struck out less frequently than the Reds in their week of productivity. The rotation pitched to a 3.35 ERA with 40 Ks and a .224 BAA. All of this while the Elly-effect was held in check to the tune of a .233/.281/.467 slash line.

4 of 5 series

A season series win over the Dodgers, and two series wins over the Cubs to sit at 5-2 against them on the year. While the season series doesn’t matter as much right now, the Reds got the wins they needed to halt and reverse their May-long skid. A disappointing series at home against the Cards is the only blemish since May 24th.

Hitters Hit

The Redlegs own a June .287/.358/.462 slash line, 30 XBHs with 13 homers. The .287/.358 are third best in the league since May 31. They’ve scored an MLB best 61 runs throughout the month. And all of this, led by a surging Jeimer Candelario, who I ripped on at the end of April as: “Not yet worth the $45 million the team invested over the next three years into the hot corner veteran.” Luckily I added in that little “yet” to save my skin. The Candy-Man is hitting .308/.325/.564 with 3 homers, 6 RBI, and 2 steals against 7 Ks in June. He has raised his season average 44 points since the end of April and his OPS is up 100 points. While his season numbers aren’t $45 million, yet, this surge since mid-May, hints he might just be worth the money.

Candelario isn’t the only Red getting hot as we move into the summer months. Jonathan India, Tyler Stephenson and TJ Friedl are coming to life. India in particular has brought back his stellar bat with a .354/.468/.542 slash line since the start of the Dodgers’ sweep. He leads the team with 15 RBI, 11 runs and 11 walks in that span. His strikeout rate is still high for a bedrock second baseman, but his walk percentage is up and he is slowly coming back to 2021 numbers.

“It seems like as an offense, we kind of got our swagger back a little bit. I think everyone is going into the box with confidence and just a lot of belief in each other,” Steer said, following the Reds 12-7 win against the Rockies

Pitching, not Throwing

With a 3.74 ERA and a top 13 BAA, they also own the 6th best LOB% in the league in June. The pitching arsenal has allowed 8 homers, tied for 7th best in June. But it gets even better if you go back to the start of their winning ways. Since the 24th of May, the Reds own a 3.65 ERA- the ‘pen owns the 4th best ERA at 2.20- and the 3rd best LOB%. Graham Ashcraft was sent down to work on his mechanics, but the starters have been consistent to end May and begin June.

Nick Lodolo has been as good as an Ace while healthy, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.08 ERA since May 24th over 17.1 innings. He has a 6-2 record in 9 games this season while posting an overall 2.92 ERA and a .99 WHIP. Nick shines after the first inning- where he has a 10.00 ERA- posting a 1.45 ERA, .223 BAA and 44 of his 56 strikeouts in innings 2-7. His most intriguing pitch is his fastball, which moves 18 inches away and features a 22 inch drop.

The Bell-Kraft Effect

David Bell and Nick Krall have gotten a lot of criticism over the early part of the season, but they have also orchestrated some impressive moves to ensure the Reds turn things around.

The Nick Martinez as a Starter experiment has been put to rest and he has thrived coming out of the pen. Over his 26.2 innings as a reliever, Martinez owns a 1.01 ERA with 21 strikeouts and a .141 BAA and a stellar .56 WHIP. As a reminder here are his season stats as a starter in five games: 0-3, 7.36 ERA, .348 BAA, and 17 Ks.

Nick Martini and Mike Ford are no longer on the Active Roster, and Mike Ford, for the second time this season, is no longer with the Reds. In their place we have Jacob Hurtubise and Blake Dunn. Two young guys. Too early to say whether or not they will be the long term answer, but so far, a welcome addition.

Race to the ASG

The Ohio Cup gets started tomorrow when the Reds host the Guardians for two games. Then, the Reds have some of the most important games of the season coming up with 13 of 16 against the NL Central, and 10 of them on the road. Once the calendar rolls over, the Reds don’t play the division again until the 29th of July. They will face inter-league foes at the Yankees and home against the Tigers followed by the bottom-barrel Rockies and Marlins. The home series against the Tigers begins a 10 game homestand to close out the first half of the season.

Speaking of ASG, don’t forget to vote for your favorite Reds (and Mariners) this year.

Who do you think the Reds should be sending to Arlington? Are there any trades you would want to see the Reds make before the Deadline? Let me know down below.