Each game the Cincinnati Reds play over the next week will be their most important to date, including a series finale against the visiting Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon.
With seven games remaining, the Reds (79-76) trail the New York Mets by a game for the National League's final wild-card spot. Winners in four straight -- including three in a row against the Cubs -- Cincinnati has put itself in position to potentially snap its four-year postseason drought.
The Reds hope their Sunday starter Andrew Abbott (9-7, 2.88 ERA) can find some consistency down the stretch. The 26-year-old lefty surrendered five runs through 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the New York Mets to begin September, which he followed with a dominant eight-inning, one-run outing against the San Diego Padres.
Last time out, however, Abbott failed to complete five innings again, permitting three runs in 4 2/3 frames in a 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.
"A lot of things have to go right," Abbott said of the Reds' playoff chances. "I've got to pitch better in my next two starts. Guys have got to step up, but we've had our backs against the wall for the last two weeks. It's the right time to answer the call."
Abbott is 3-1 with a 2.91 ERA in six career starts against the Cubs. He's faced them three times this year, compiling a 2-1 record and a 2.33 ERA.
Since the Cubs (88-67) clinched a playoff spot on Wednesday, the club has dropped three straight to the Reds, scoring just seven runs across the skid.
Hoping to serve as a stopper, Jameson Taillon (10-6, 3.93) will look to prolong a string of stellar outings in his 22nd start of the season for Chicago. Taillon, 33, has endured a pair of stays on the 15-day injured list in the last two months - most recently due to a left groin strain.
The veteran right-hander has made just four appearances since the end of June, but has gone 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA in those starts. Last time out, he threw six scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.
The nine-year veteran has just two playoff appearances to his name -- both with the New York Yankees in 2022 -- and is eager to help the club make a deep run.
"We knew early on with this team that we have something here," Taillon said. "We've got a good chance to make some noise. It's a close group and when you're close with your teammates, it makes you want to be a part of it and be involved that much more. I don't want to jinx anything, but I like our chances to make some noise."
A longtime NL Central rival of the Reds as a member of the Pirates and the Cubs, Taillon is 7-6 with a 4.67 ERA in 19 career starts against them. He allowed two runs across 6 1/3 innings in a 7-3 home win over Cincinnati on June 1.
--Field Level Media
