Reds mount historic drubbing with postseason on the line

ST. LOUIS -- Between checking standings, social media and scoreboards, the Reds have viewed the various -- but slim -- possibilities that could get them into the postseason. Once on the field Friday, however, none of that mattered as they played the Cardinals.

“Whatever happens away from this field with the other teams, we can’t control that,” center fielder TJ Friedl said before the game. “All we can control is our performance, our effort here in St. Louis, so we’re going to do whatever we can do to win three games here and put ourselves in that position.”

Cincinnati left nothing to chance and pounced early with three home runs over the first two innings and a season-high six overall for a convincing 19-2 victory in the series opener over St. Louis.

• Games remaining (2): at STL (2)
• Standings update: For the third National League Wild Card spot, the Reds (82-78) remained 1 1/2 games behind the Marlins (83-76) after they battled back to win at Pittsburgh. Miami owns the second tiebreaker based on intradivision record. Cincinnati has the same record as the Cubs (82-78) and holds the tiebreaker.
• Path to the postseason: Cincinnati can't clinch a spot on Saturday. There are multiple paths to a playoff berth but the easiest one is the Reds winning out and the Marlins and Cubs losing their remaining games -- which would guarantee Cincinnati's spot in the playoffs. If the four competing NL Wild Card teams finished with the same record, the Marlins and Reds would get the final two spots. Here's how every tiebreaker scenario breaks down.

“We know we have to win, but we need some stuff to happen for us,” second baseman Jonathan India said. “So we definitely talk about it. I think we all know what needs to happen. Bottom line, we need to win.”

On the heels of a 100-loss campaign in 2022, the young Reds have 82 wins this season and guaranteed a winning record. But they have bigger aspirations.

Against Cardinals starter Jake Woodford, Nick Martini hit an 0-2 pitch for a two-out, three-run home run to right-center field and a 3-0 Reds lead. It was viewed as critical by the club to get a lead early.

“[It] was, at the time, just huge,” Reds manager David Bell said. “It kind of allowed everyone to relax a little bit.”

It was 7-0 after two innings when Will Benson hit an RBI triple to the right-field corner, India slugged a two-run homer to left-center field and Spencer Steer added a solo homer.

The only runs against Reds starter Brandon Williamson scored on a two-run homer in the third inning by Richie Palacios. Less than a week removed from blowing a 9-0 lead in a 13-12 loss to the Pirates, the Reds were still not comfortable with seven runs.

“I thought of it when I was out there. ‘I think we need to score some more here,’” India said. “They scored two in the third and I was like, ‘Oh gosh.’ I knew we were in good shape when we started hitting more.”

Cincinnati poured on some more offense with a seven-run fourth inning. Leading off, Noelvi Marte extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a homer. Christian Encarnacion-Strand belted a three-run homer into the third deck in left field and Tyler Stephenson added a two-run homer to left field as the game turned into a rout.

“It felt like it was kind of contagious from the hitting side,” Stephenson said. “It never stopped, which was great. We need to have that energy the next two games and hopefully we can see where this thing takes us, and just keep the momentum going.”

The offensive support boosted Williamson, who allowed two earned runs and five hits over six innings with two walks and two strikeouts.

“It’s really comforting going out on the mound with a lead,” Williamson said. “Little things don’t seem like a big deal.”

Watching the outcomes of fellow contenders -- the Marlins and Cubs -- proved unavoidable but not distracting. The stadium scoreboard constantly updated the scores of their games.

“I had one fan yelling at me saying the Marlins won,” Stephenson said.

“It was on the scoreboard and we peeked,” India said. “Some of us were, I was.”

“Here in St. Louis, it’s right in your face,” Bell said of the scoreboard. “They even have the base states up there. There was no way you couldn’t be watching it. We were very focused on what we were doing.”

The offense produced a season-high in runs as the Reds' 17-run win was the second largest against the Cardinals in club history. The largest was a 19-1 win on Aug. 12, 1882, the ninth time the teams faced each other.

After the game, players assembled to watch the Cubs play the Brewers. Milwaukee won, 4-3, in 10 innings to elicit a collective roar from inside the visitor’s clubhouse at Busch Stadium.

The Reds are still alive and kicking, for at least one more precious day.

“We can’t go to Milwaukee and pitch against the Cubs. We can’t hit for the Brewers,” Williamson said. “All we can do is try to replicate what we did tonight, play our best ball, win some games and the cards will fall. That’s all you can do.”