How Cincinnati Reds Can Still Make a Playoff Run

The Cincinnati Reds reached the All-Star break at 43-52, sitting last in the National League Central and eight games behind Miami for the final wild card spot.

That is not where anyone in the organization wanted to be after last season ended with a trip to the playoffs. Still, 67 games remain on the schedule, and this roster has more going for it than the record shows.

Teams have climbed out of deeper holes before in the wild card era, and the pieces for a real second half push are already in place in Cincinnati.

Here are three reasons the Reds can get back in the race.

Chase Burns has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season, going 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA and 118 strikeouts on his way to an All-Star nod.

The Reds rewarded him this week with a seven-year, $105 million extension, a move that locked in the future while showing belief in the present group.

Hunter Greene returned from injury on July 4th and struck out 12 in his second start back, which gives Cincinnati a top two that can hang with anyone down the stretch.

If Nick Lodolo can put his blister trouble behind him after landing on the injured list, the rotation becomes a weapon instead of a question.

Good starting pitching travels, and no contender wants to face those arms in a big series.

The offense has a real anchor in rookie Sal Stewart, who earned an All-Star selection while leading the team with 19 home runs and 65 RBI.

He set a franchise record for the most home runs by a Reds rookie before the break, and even Dave Roberts praised him during All-Star week.

Cincinnati does not need Stewart to do everything by himself, but building the order around him gives Elly De La Cruz and the veterans cleaner spots to work in.

If the group around Stewart plays closer to its track record, this lineup can score enough to support the pitching.

Eight games sounds like a lot, but nobody in the middle of the National League wild card picture is running away with anything.

The Reds open the second half in Colorado against a Rockies team sitting 20 games under .500, which is a friendly place to start a winning streak.

Cincinnati also proved last season that a hot finish can be enough, grabbing a wild card spot before falling to the Dodgers.

The front office can help by adding at the deadline instead of selling, because this group already made the climb once.

A strong first two weeks out of the break changes the whole conversation, and the schedule gives the Reds every chance to do it.