Can the Cincinnati Reds get back on track in Atlanta?
We’ll find out!
The Cincinnati Reds are in Atlanta today set to begin a four-game series against the Braves. They’re also looking to regain some of that momentum they had in spades this time a week ago after stumbling through yet another ‘winnable’ homestand.
Cincinnati dropped four of seven at home against the rebuilding St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals, and to date still sport a home wRC+ of just 74 on the season - tied with the lowly Colorado Rockies for the worst mark at home by any MLB club.
The good news, I hope, is that they’re back on the road, a place where they’ve found much more success in the early going. They’re 9-7 away from home so far, their collective 120 wRC+ in road games the fourth best mark in the game.
Up next is an Atlanta club that fell flat out of the gate in a vintage-Reds fashion, dropping each of the first seven games of the season. They’re 15-11 since then as they begin to claw their way back up the standings in the NL East, but they’re a club that’s still very much looking for footing with a roster that looks greatly different than their elite clubs of recent memory.
The starting rotation, in particular, looks radically different. Gone is Charlie Morton, who left in free agency to sign with Baltimore. Reynaldo Lopez, who excelled last year after moving to the rotation from the bullpen, is out for months with a bad shoulder. Spencer Strider, who returned briefly early in 2025 after missing a year with elbow surgery, landed back on the IL quickly with hamstring problems. The end result - even with a healthy Chris Sale - is a team sporting a 4.51 ERA from their starters so far (26th overall).
If you asked every single player in both of these locker rooms where they think they should be in the standings, I think every single response would be ‘in first place.’ That’s both a testament to the caliber players each roster has as well as a combination of expectations and - in the Reds case - how close they’ve been already to winning six, seven more games than they have.
That sets the stage for a four-game series with a lot to play for this week, and the hope is we’ll see the Reds rise to that challenge down in Cobb County.
Pitching Matchups
Monday, May 5th (7:15 PM ET) - RHP Brady Singer vs. RHP AJ Smith-Shawver
Tuesday, May 6th (7:15 PM ET) - LHP Andrew Abbott vs. LHP Chris Sale
Wednesday, May 7th (7:15 PM ET) - RHP Hunter Greene vs. RHP Grant Holmes
Thursday, May 8th (7:15 PM ET) - LHP Nick Lodolo vs. RHP Spencer Schwellenbach
How to Watch
All four of these games will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network. You can watch FDSN in-market through cable packages, though it’s also available to be streamed in-market with no blackout restrictions even without a cable subscription. Check the link in the above sidebar for more information on how you can do just that.
Each of Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday’s matchups will also be carried on MLB Network, so you can view them there if you get that channel.
Per usual, you can view these games from outside the Reds TV market by catching the FDSN stream through MLB.tv.