Is the Cincinnati Reds Pitching Staff World Series Bound?

How good, really, is the Cincinnati Reds pitching staff really?

Having a potential Cy Young winner on the staff puts the Reds in a good starting position when analyzing the pitching staff. As mentioned previously, the staff is full of pitchers with filthy stuff and a proven ability to strike batters out.

Of the remaining starting pitchers, Luis Castillo owns a 2.86 ERA while striking out 11.6 batters per nine innings. Sonny Gray and Tyler Mahle both pitch to sub- 4.00 ERAs while striking out more than 12 batters per nine.

Anthony DeSclafani rounds out the starting rotation. He’s struggled this year, but the Reds are poised to turn to a four-man rotation come October. Especially after Bauer’s brilliance on short rest last night.

The bullpen is another bright spot. Nate Jones was designated for assignment on Tuesday, leaving Cincinnati with five bullpen arms that have seen at least 10 games in 2020. Collectively, those five relief pitchers own a 3.78 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.

Closer Raisel Iglesias is 8-for-10 in save opportunities pitching to a 3.05 ERA while lefty Amir Garrett has been the best arm in the pen. Garrett has struck out 24 batters in less than 18 innings pitching to a 2.55 ERA in 19 appearances.

Cincinnati’s entire pitching staff ranks top-10 in the league in almost every statistical category. According to Baseball-Reference, the team ranks first in strikeouts (569), second in opponent batting average (.214), second in hits allowed (378), sixth in WHIP (1.22), seventh in runs allowed (231), and ninth in team ERA (3.85).