Cincinnati Reds OF Austin Hays drove in two during a three-hit night Monday and has been a linchpin to the lineup's improvement in recent series.

Or that they stubbed their hitting toe again Monday on the woeful Pittsburgh Pirates and Mitch Keller for most of a 7-1 win that was a shrugfest until five runs in the final two innings. Whatever anybody might think that says about the Reds and their chances to play in October,

The Reds should not quite take outfield off their shopping list. Benson has only played nine total games and while they have been generally amazing, the Reds should not take a str

"To have the game taken away from me for something health-related allowed me to appreciate the game and find joy in the game. I'm grateful for that."

Cincinnati Reds OF Will Benson led the National League last week in batting (.526), home runs (5), slugging (1.368), RBIs (10) and OPS (1.959).

The Cincinnati Reds plan to start their ace fresh off a 15-day IL stint in their first matchup of the year against the division-leading Chicago Cubs.

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates will try to break their four-game losing streak when they play the Cincinnati Reds. Pittsburgh has a 15-33 record overall and a 9-14 record in home games. The Pirates have a 7-11 record in games decided by one run.

The Cincinnati Reds didn't go with a traditional starting pitcher, and by game's end it was clear they were fine without one, albeit for a day.

The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-1 on Monday night. The Reds got on the board in the first inning after a two out walk by Elly De La Cruz followed by a double down the left field line by Austin Hays that scored De La Cruz all the way from first base.

The Cincinnati Reds have a solid young core that revolves around phenom shortstop Elly De La Cruz. De La Cruz has some of the highest potential in the league an