Since the 2015 season, one of the Cincinnati Reds or Pittsburgh Pirates has finished last in the National League Central Division in 7 of 9 years. In one of those other years (2022), they finished 4th in the 5-team division.

Or they finished last in the 5-team division, depending on your interpretation. So it should come as no surprise that one of these two clubs is destined to finish last in the division again in the 2024 regular season, with about a week of baseball left.

Currently, the Reds are in 4th place, 14.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers (who already won the division). This season, they are 74-80.

Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is at the bottom of the division with 72-81. They are 16 games behind Milwaukee.

This sets the stage for Cincinnati’s final home series of the season, doesn’t it?

Mitch Keller and the Pirates are in GABP to begin a 3-game weekend series, and there’s a chance they leave town on Sunday while the Reds languish in last place. That’s what’s at stake here, folks!

However, Cincinnati will turn to Nick Martinez tonight, who has proven to be a top player in the second half of the season. A win in this series would be enough to avert a Reds-in-last-place scenario until the results of their final two series are in next week, and wouldn’t that be great?

First pitch Friday night is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET. Lineups below!