Back Bieber To Thwart Reds Playoff Hopes

Reds vs. Guardians, 6:10 ET

If you had told me at the beginning of the season that this game could have any implication for the playoffs, I would've believed you only if it was related to the Guardians. However, that's not the case. The Reds are still in the playoff hunt and the Guardians have been eliminated from the playoff contention. Both teams have their Aces going tonight so it should be a good one regardless of the playoff chase.

I just don't get it. I don't understand how the Reds have lasted this long. Their hitting isn't anything spectacular and their pitching leaves a lot to be desired. It is a bit interesting looking at the team stats compared to each other. The Reds have almost 100 more runs than the Guardians on the season, but have less hits. It seems that the Reds have more extra base hits, or maybe hits at more opportune times. Even still, the hitting may be successful, but the ERA is almost five earned runs as a team. How are they still in the race? They have one of the easier remaining schedules of the last three teams fighting for the last Wild Card spot, so it is possible they can sneak into the playoffs and a good start from Andrew Abbott would go a long way. Abbott has fallen from grace a bit since August. In June and July, Abbott allowed 17 earned runs over 65 innings. In August and September, he's allowed 27 earned runs in 42 innings. He isn't going very deep into games either as he has completed five innings just once in the past six contests.

Sep 8, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott (41) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

The Guardians have drawn my criticism this year for one specific reason: they gave up. They could've won the division this year, I have no doubt about it. As they sit now, they probably will lose the division by 10 games, so maybe my assessment is off, but it isn't like the Twins ran away with the division when the Guardians decided to trade off their assets. I understand they had some injury issues and they weren't likely to win the World Series, but it still was a pathetic decision. Maybe the return they got will prove me wrong years from now. One of the reasons they made the decision was that Shane Bieber wasn't around for the Guardians due to injury. Bieber made his first start since July 9th a few days ago. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't that good. The Orioles got four earned runs off of him, scattering six hits over five innings. I am actually a bit surprised that he threw five innings - he normally goes pretty deep into games, but coming off of injury I was thinking that he would only get through three or four innings. He ended up throwing 81 pitches in the game. I would expect he gets to at least that number in this game as well.

What do you get when you have a team that needs to win and one that doesn't care? Maybe the Reds are going to be a bit tight in this game having to face a Cy Young-caliber pitcher. Maybe the Guardians are in the right frame of mind to play spoiler. I haven't been impressed with Abbott's pitching lately or how quickly he is leaving games. The Reds bullpen leaves a lot to be desired. I'll take the Guardians to win this game at -135.

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