ST. LOUIS – Ten games, three series. That's what is left of the regular season for the Reds.
While they face an uphill climb to earn a playoff berth, their chances aren't zero. That's why players like first baseman Spencer Steer are more than willing to play through discomfort. Back from missing a couple of games, Steer delivered a career-high-tying five RBIs during Wednesday's critical 6-2 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
“I don’t think he felt great out there, but I’ll tell you what, he played a really good game," manager Terry Francona said.
Steer, who had already been bothered by a sore quadriceps during much of the second half, had a displacement in his upper ribcage toward his back. He was scratched on Monday and given another day off Tuesday by Francona after a chiropractor's adjustment put the bone back in its place.
“He said, ‘I’ll be ready.’ That’s what pros do," Francona said of Steer.
Steer hit a three-run home run for the lead in the fourth inning and added a two-out, two-run single to right field in the seventh that scored Austin Hays and Santiago Espinal to seal the win.
“Better. It’s not perfect, but I felt good enough to go," Steer said.
Cincinnati (76-76), which finished its three-city trip with a 4-5 record, is two games behind the Mets (78-74) for the final National League Wild Card spot. Two other teams are in the race, the Diamondbacks (77-76) and Giants (76-76).
Because the Reds don't play any of those teams over the final 10 games, controlling their own destiny is out of the question. That went out the window, in part, because of their 9-16 record since Aug. 19, when they were a season-high seven games over .500 at 67-60.
Trying to win as many of the remaining games as possible while the others lose – and a little luck – is the only route for Cincinnati.
“You can look at the scoreboard all you want to with what the other teams are doing, but we’ve got to do our job and just have good games and put wins in the win column," said Reds starter Brady Singer, who allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts.
The remaining opponents are all NL Central rivals. For the final homestand, the Reds play four games vs. the Cubs and three games vs. the Pirates. They are 4-5 in the season series vs. Chicago and 6-4 against Pittsburgh. The final Reds series is three games at Milwaukee. Cincinnati has not won a series vs. the division-leading Brewers since 2021.
“We’ve got to handle our own business, and if we get help, great," Steer said. "Today, that was a good win. Brady gave us a great start. We’ve got an opportunity in front of us playing Chicago for four at home.”
The Cubs just clinched their postseason spot with a win at Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
Alec Burleson's two-out solo home run to right-center field off Singer gave St. Louis a 1-0 first-inning lead. Singer settled in and retired 10 of his next 12 batters.
“I was able to kind of bounce back and have some good command. I felt good throughout the outing," Singer said.
Against Cardinals starter Andre Pallante in the fourth inning, Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz drew back-to-back one-out walks. That set up Steer, who hit a first pitch from Pallante for his 18th homer of the season and 4-1 lead. A Pallante wild pitch to De La Cruz with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth inning plated Gavin Lux for a three-run lead.
Singer yielded an unearned run that scored on a De La Cruz throwing error in the sixth.
Acquired in the offseason from the Royals for Jonathan India, Singer has been as advertised for Cincinnati. Over a team-leading 30 starts and 161 innings, the right-hander is 14-10 with a 3.86 ERA. He also leads the Reds with 155 strikeouts.
“I think that’s the biggest thing, the finish," Singer said. "In years past, it’s not [been] run out of gas but a struggle toward the end. It’s nice to put some good numbers here at the end and give us a chance.”