Fire Power
In the last 13 games, Cincinnati has managed to pull out 9 wins. All of these 9 wins have been impressive and include many wins over fantastic opposing pitching. One of the most impressive offensive performances, along with an amazing performance from Lodolo on July 25th, resulted in an 11-2 victory over the Marlins. Every Reds player in the starting lineup managed to get a hit and this night included a Drury homerun and the first career grand slam for Jonathan India. A 16 hit performance was fun to watch and the Reds Designated Hitter spot in the lineup has continued to be a bright spot in 2022. Currently, the Reds DH position as a whole is batting .300 with a .857 OPS. Players such as Votto, India, Moustakas, Pham, Solano, and Drury have all recently put up great numbers in this slot and have shown the Reds firepower even when not playing their normal fielding positions.
The King of Second Half
Anyone who has watched Votto’s career since his debut in 2007 understands how magnificent he has been during the 2nd half of each season. After the All-Star break, Joey always seems to “figure it out” and display his greatness. During his long career with Cincinnati, Joey is batting .310 after the All Star break, .429 OBP, and his BB% sits at 17%. In 2016, Votto batted over .400 after the break and joined Ichiro Suzuki’s stellar second half from 2004 when he managed to hit over .400 as well. Votto’s 2 homeruns since the break will hopefully continue, as I truly expect the 2nd half of this season to turn around for the future Reds Hall of Famer.
White Bengal and Appendectomies
Cincinnati Bengals fans were filled with excitement, as the white Bengal helmets have finally been given a “go” for next season. The helmets are the cleanest looking head gear in football and will be quite appealing when worn with the white and black Nike alternate jersey and pants combination. The Bengals organization has revealed the date that Cincinnati will finally wear these for the first time, as you will need to be heading to Thursday Night Football on September 29th if you want to see these in person for the first time. Taking down the Dolphins on this date as the jungle is filled with white apparel will be quite the atmosphere.
I never thought I would be writing about an appendix during one of my articles, yet I found my heart racing as I read Burrow was having surgery…Luckily my ESPN notification was only notifying fans that he is having an appendectomy and will likely only miss a few weeks. “Better now than later” is a good motto because this could have been crucial if he needed this surgery during the season. I hope this is the one and only time I get a breaking news notification on a Burrow surgery for the next few years.
Cincinnati Reds Upcoming Schedule
Marlins @ Reds-7/27 and 7/28
Orioles @ Reds-7/29-7/31
Reds @ Marlins-8/1-8/3
Cincinnati Bengals Upcoming Preseason Schedule
Cardinals @ Bengals – 8/12/2022
Bengals @ Giants – 8/21/2022
Rams @ Bengals- 8/27/2022
