By Hal McCoy
As they have been so often over the last couple of decades, the Cincinnati Reds are The Big Tease.
They linger so close to accomplishing something, like the last wild card spot, as meager as that accomplishment is, then collpase like a punctured lung.
Are fans seeing it again?
They charged out of the All-Star break by winning five of their first six series, indicating they just might slip into that third and final wild card spot.
They took a four-game winning streak into Washington and had finally, after 69 days in last place, moved past the Pittsburgh Pirates into fourth place in the National League Central division.
Then the Washington Nationals didn’t just beat them, they pounded them during a three-game sweeep — 5-3. 8-2, 7-1.
Suddenly it seems as if the team’s wild card pursuit is a wild goose chase.
They could use Charlie Sheen’s charcter in the movie Major League — The Wild Thing.
They could Gene Wilder’s character in the movie Blazing Saddles — The Waco Kid.
Or maybe they need Steve Martin and Dan Akroyd, those wild and crazy guy on Saturday Night Live.
OK, those are all wild ideas, just as wild as the idea of the 2026 Reds making the playoffs.
Over the last month, the Reds have lingered behind five teams in the chase for that last wild card spot, behind San Diego, Miami, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Washington, five to six games behind.
Five teams to climb over witn 45 games left to do so is just a wild dream that is more like a nightmare.
—They’ve lost their projected pitching ace, Hunter Green, for the rest of the season.
—Their real ace, Chase Burns, is beyond the most innings he has ever pitched in a year (122 innings in 22 starts).
The Reds soon will have to shut him down or put him at the back of the bullpen to limit his innings and appearances.
—The Reds’ team batting average in .229, last in MLB. And when they make a lot of their key outs it is with runners on base, particularly with runners in scoring position.
Their RISP average is even worse, .211, and that is buoyed by rookie Sal Stewart’s .303 RISP average. The .211 is last in MLB.
—More often than not, with runners in scoring position a Reds batter strikes out swining or, even more frustrating, takes a called strike three.
The Reds strike out an average of 9.52 times per game, last in MLB with 1,113.
The guiltiest party is Eugenio Suarez, a $15 mllion player brought back this season to provide righthanded punch. His punch mostly has been punchouts —23 in his last 41 at bats and 125 times in 306 at bats.
—It is home runss or nothing, well, half nothing. The Reds rely on the long ball to score runs. More than half their runs have come via home runs with 154, sixth most in MLB.
But they’ve scored only 482 runs, 27th in MLB.
—The schedule-maker did not provide the Reds with any late-season party favors.
Beginning late this month, the Reds’ schedule is wild and crazy through September, stuffed with winning teams, the Chicago Cubs twice, the Milwaukee Brewers (owner of MLB’ss best record) twice, the Los Angeles Dodgers twice, the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves.
—The Reds front office did nothing but mystify people in baseball. President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall did no operating. All the Reds did was confuse fans and people in the business.
Did Krall believe the Reds were still contenders by keeping eligible free agent players Tyler Stephenson, Brady Singer and five others?
At the end of the season, the Reds can lose all seven, although Krall indicated the club might offer Singer (5-11) a qualifying offer. If Singer accepts, it will cost the team $21 million.
It is likely they will lose Stephenson, with no compensation. The Reds talked to him during spring training about a contract extension, but he wasn’t interested.
Interestingly, the day before the trade deadline Stephenson shed tears on TV when asked about the possibility of being traded. But after he wasn’t traded, he was asked if he wanted to stay after this season and he was non-commital.
What all this means is, most likely, there are only two reasons to watch the Reds — Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz.
Stewart and St. Louis Cardinals shortstop JJ Weatherholt are the top candidates for National League Rookie of the Year. And so far Stewart’s statistics swarm all over Weatherholt’s.
And De La Cruz is worth watching because of his possesion of all five baseball tools. But one never knows what you mighty see from him — a sensational defensive player or an error on a routine play, a dramatic home run or a strikeout with the bases loaded.
But add it all up at this juncture and the Reds are unlikely to take a walk on the wild card side.