The clinching has begun! The Washington Nationals clinch the National League East, and it took 17 years, but the Baltimore Orioles finally get to experience how it feels to play some baseball in October. We have the chance to see some old teams and some new teams reach the postseason, but one team that has been a postseason regular is nowhere near clinching their division; let alone one of the coveted wild card spots, and that is the Cincinnati Reds.

What Happened To The Cincinnati Reds

For the past 4 years, the Reds have been a postseason regular. Entering the 2014 baseball season it felt like a safe bet that we would see the Reds in October, maybe not taking the World Series title, but definitely fighting for it. So, what happened to the Cincinnati Reds? A team that has Johnny Cueto on their roster, a team that has Canada’s very own Joey Votto is in fourth place in the National League Central. A postseason hopeful gets no-hit through 8 innings by those loveable losers, the Chicago Cubs. So, what’s eating the Reds? It’s their swing happy approach to their at-bats.

I can speak for all baseball fans when I say, “who doesn’t dig the long ball?”, but patience at the plate is just as important. Not all players can be a “home run Homer”, but a majority can at least make it on base. The only guy that seems to get this approach is Joey Votto, sure fans are giving him a hard time saying that he’s not getting paid the big bucks to take walks, no, he is getting paid the big bucks to at least make it on base to give his team some hope in winning an actual game. What’s the worth of an RBI when there is no runner on base to to actually bat in?

The swing happy nature of this ball club has brought them nothing but disappointed fans and a distant memory of what the postseason is all about. There seems to be hope for the 2015 season, but let’s let the teams that actually put the ball into play finish out this season. Hope to see you next October, Cincinnati.

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