NL Central

The Cincinnati Reds announced Sunday that they have fired manager David Bell,.

Per 700WLW's Lance McAlister, the Reds appointed Freddie Benavides as interim coach for the final five games of the season. Bench coach Jeff Pickler was also fired.

Reds president Nick Krall explained the decision to fire Bell during a press conference on Monday:

Nick Krall said the decision was made and the timing allows them to meet with people over the final road trip moving forward

— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) September 23, 2024

Nick Krall: There were philosophical differences. I'll keep those internal.

— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) September 23, 2024

Nick Krall: This was my decision.

On ownership: "Everyone was involved. We've talked to them. I've talked to Bob about this over the last few weeks."

— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) September 23, 2024

Nick Krall says Derek Johnson is under contract for next year and "moving forward"

— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) September 23, 2024

JR House will move to bench coach, Collin Cowgill will move to third base coach and Kyle Arnsberg will move to first base coach

— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) September 23, 2024

Cincinnati is 76-81 on the year and will miss the postseason for the fourth straight season. The Reds made the playoffs just one time during Bell's six-year tenure.

Bell made his managerial debut for the Reds in 2019 after Jim Riggleman was not retained as interim manager following Bryan Price's firing. He led the Reds to the postseason in the shortened COVID-19 season in 2020 as Cincinnati finished 31-29, but the Reds faced a wild-card exit to the Atlanta Braves without scoring a run in the series.

The 2020 postseason was the only one Bell reached during his time in Cincinnati, and the Reds lost 100 games for just the second time in franchise history in 2022. Things improved slightly in 2023 as Bell led the Reds to an 82-80 record, which prompted Cincinnati to extend Bell through the 2026 season halfway through the year.

Last year's improvement led the Reds to believe they could compete for a division title and a postseason berth this year, but the 2024 season proved otherwise.

"David provided the kind of steadiness that we needed in our clubhouse over the last few seasons," Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said in a statement. "We felt a change was needed to move the Major League team forward. We have not achieved the success we expected, and we need to begin focusing on 2025."

Bell finished with a 409-456 record across his six seasons. His 32 managerial ejections are also the most in franchise history.

The Reds' interim manager, Benavides, has been with the Reds organization in different capacities since 2007 and became Cincinnati's first-base coach in 2016. He was moved to bench coach ahead of the 2019 season.

While the Reds' coaching search is still in the early stages, one name has already emerged. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported shortly after Bell's firing that Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker is on Cincinnati's radar as a replacement.

While Schumaker hasn't been fired yet, a 57-99 season for the Marlins seems to indicate his time in Miami is coming to an end.

The Milwaukee Brewers are playoff bound for the sixth time in the past seven seasons after clinching the NL Central with the Chicago Cubs' loss to the Oakland Athletics.

With today's Cubs loss, the @Brewers have #CLINCHED the NL Central crown 👑 pic.twitter.com/T4XbtPqYoE

— MLB (@MLB) September 18, 2024

While the Brewers are celebrating another run in October, they still have a lot to play for over the final two weeks of the regular season. They are within four games of the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in the NL and home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Here are the updated matchups and standings in both leagues based on the current standings.

Projected National League Playoff Matchups

• First-round bye: No. 1 Philadelphia Phillies, No. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers
• Wild Card Series: No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers vs. No. 6 New York Mets, No. 4 San Diego Padres vs. No. 5 Arizona Diamondbacks
  

Projected American League Playoff Matchups

• First-round bye: No. 1 New York Yankees, No. 2 Cleveland Guardians
• Wild Card Series: No. 3 Houston Astros vs. No. 6 Minnesota Twins, No. 4 Baltimore Orioles vs. No. 5 Kansas City Royals
  

Current Standings

NL East

1. Philadelphia Phillies (91-60)
2. New York Mets (83-68, 8 GB)
3. Atlanta Braves (81-70, 10 GB)
4. Washington Nationals (68-83, 23 GB)
5. Miami Marlins (56-95, 35 GB)

NL Central

1. Milwaukee Brewers (87-64)** 
2. Chicago Cubs (77-75, 10.5 GB)
3. St. Louis Cardinals (76-75, 11 GB)
4. Cincinnati Reds, (74-78, 13.5 GB)
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (71-80, 16 GB)

NL West

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (89-62)
2. San Diego Padres (86-66, 3.5 GB)
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (83-68, 6 GB)
4. San Francisco Giants (73-78, 16 GB)
5. Colorado Rockies (59-93, 30.5 GB)

NL Wild Card

1. San Diego Padres (86-66, +2.5 Games)
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (83-68)
3. New York Mets (83-68)
4. Atlanta Braves (81-70, 2 GB)
5. Chicago Cubs (77-75, 6.5 GB)
6. St. Louis Cardinals (76-75, 7 GB)

AL East

1. New York Yankees (88-63)
2. Baltimore Orioles (84-67, 4 GB)
3. Boston Red Sox (75-76, 13 GB)
4. Tampa Bay Rays (74-77, 14 GB)
5. Toronto Blue Jays (72-79, 16 GB)

AL Central

1. Cleveland Guardians (87-65)
2. Kansas City Royals (82-70, 5 GB)
3. Minnesota Twins (80-71, 6.5 GB)
4. Detroit Tigers (79-73, 8 GB)
5. Chicago White Sox (36-116, 51 GB)

AL West

1. Houston Astros (82-69)
2. Seattle Mariners (77-74, 5 GB)
3. Texas Rangers (72-79, 10 GB)
4. Oakland Athletics (67-86, 16 GB)
5. Los Angeles Angels (61-90, 21 GB)

AL Wild Card

1. Baltimore Orioles (84-67, +4 Games)
2. Kansas City Royals (82-70, +1.5 Games)
3. Minnesota Twins (80-71)
4. Detroit Tigers (79-73, 1.5 GB)
5. Seattle Mariners (77-74, 3 GB)
6. Boston Red Sox (75-76, 5 GB)
7. Tampa Bay Rays (74-77, 6 GB)

**Denotes clinched division

---

Despite winning the NL Central last season, expectations were muted for the Brewers coming into 2024. They lost manager Craig Counsell when he decided to take the same job with the Chicago Cubs.

Former NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in February. They didn't make many aggressive moves in free agency, with the exception of a two-year, $34 million deal for Rhys Hoskins.

Things have wound up working out for the Brewers thanks to terrific seasons from Willy Adames, Jackson Chourio, William Contreras and Freddy Peralta.

Christian Yelich, who hit .315/.406/.504 in 73 games, would have been on that list before a back injury that required season-ending surgery in August stopped what was a terrific rebound year for the former NL MVP.

Chourio and fellow rookie Tobias Myers have been fantastic. The 20-year-old Chourio is the youngest player in MLB history to have a 20-20 season.

It's a 20 HR/20 SB season for the 20-year-old Jackson Chourio! pic.twitter.com/YIvyH5mKvL

— MLB (@MLB) September 13, 2024

Myers, who bounced around the minors with five different teams before landing in Milwaukee, has a 3.07 ERA in 24 appearances.

Devin Williams' return in July after missing four months due to a back injury has given the bullpen another late-inning option with Trevor Megill and Jared Koenig.

Even though the Brewers don't have the same star-studded rosters as top NL contenders like the Phillies and Dodgers, their consistently high level of play all year indicates they will be a dangerous opponent in the postseason.

Milwaukee will be looking for its first playoff series win since reaching the NLCS in 2018. The Brewers are one of five existing franchises that has never won a World Series.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong couldn't believe the New York Mets traded him in 2021.

"I didn't feel like I was a part of any trade talks that I had seen on TV or anything like that," he said during an interview with Chris Rose that was published Monday. "Because I was hurt during that time. I had a sling on my shoulder. … I thought it was a joke."

He explained he heard he was traded from someone in the background of the clubhouse when he was on a FaceTime call.

However, he also pointed out, "I don't want to put the Mets on blast because I loved my time there."

Pete Crow-Armstrong thought it was a joke when he was first told that the Mets traded him pic.twitter.com/W68OZCiUjA

— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) September 16, 2024

Chicago traded Javier Báez and pitcher Trevor Williams to the Mets in 2021 for Crow-Armstrong, who was New York's fifth-best prospect in the MLB.com rankings at the time. The Cubs also traded Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, among other moves, that summer as they shifted away from the core that won the organization its first World Series in 108 years in 2016.

During his time with the Cubs, Báez's resume included the World Series title, a National League Championship Series MVP, a Silver Slugger, a Gold Glove, two All-Star selections and a runner-up finish in the 2018 National League MVP vote.

He was a fan favorite, and it was no small thing to move him. He played just 47 games for the Mets and put up solid numbers with a .299/.371/.515 slash line, nine home runs and 22 RBI.

However, he has struggled to replicate that earlier success during his last three seasons on the Detroit Tigers and is hitting just .184 this season.

As for Crow-Armstrong, he has played his way into a regular role with the Cubs and is slashing .239/.290/.404 with 10 home runs, 46 RBI and 27 stolen bases this season. The improvement has been obvious, as he hit .314 in August and is hitting .289 in September while playing excellent defense and bringing speed to the basepaths.

The 22-year-old is the only rookie in the league with 10 home runs and 25 stolen bases this season and figures to be an important part of the Cubs' future.

Even if he expected to be an important part of the Mets' future not that long ago.

Despite being on the verge of his fifth consecutive losing season, Derek Shelton's job as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates appears to be safe.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told reporters on Wednesday he believes Shelton is "the right person to manage the team in 2025" and expects he will return next season.

Shelton's contract was extended by the Pirates in April 2023, but the length of the deal was not specified in the announcement.

The Pirates briefly flirted with playoff contention earlier this season. They had a 29-22 record over two months between June and July that helped them climb three games over .500 on July 30 (55-52).

Pittsburgh was only two games behind the San Diego Padres for the final postseason spot in the NL at that point. A brutal August that included a 10-game losing streak all but ended any hope for the club to be a playoff spoiler.

Things have improved so far in September with a 6-4 record entering play on Wednesday. The Pirates' .476 winning percentage is on pace to be their highest in a season since 2018 when they finished 82-79.

Shelton was hired by the Pirates in November 2019 after Clint Hurdle was fired two months earlier. He took over a franchise that was in the process of a long-term rebuild.

The Pirates haven't finished higher than fourth in the NL Central since Shelton took over as manager. They are on the verge of their third last-place finish in the past five seasons. His .415 winning percentage ranks 336th out of 366 managers all-time with at least 315 games managed.

Even though the results have yet to show up in the Pirates' record, there are clear signs of improvement for the franchise in 2024. Paul Skenes is an NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner amid his historic debut season.

Oneil Cruz, Mitch Keller and Jared Jones have all enjoyed breakout seasons and could form the next great core group with Skenes in Pittsburgh.

Shelton has endured the rough patch of a team just starting to rebuild when he was hired. The Pirates seem inclined to at least give him another year to see it through now that they are making positive strides.

LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne was surprised after the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen couldn't maintain a seven-run lead during Paul Skenes' latest start on Wednesday.

Dunne expressed her shock with a social media post featuring her boyfriend.

pic.twitter.com/pdxyyAGUzm

— Olivia Dunne (@livvydunne) August 28, 2024

Skenes threw five innings against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, giving up two earned runs and striking out six batters. When he left the game, Pittsburgh held a 10-3 lead.

The Pirates' bullpen struggled after the 22-year-old exited the contest, as four of the five relief pitchers that manager Derek Shelton used throughout the remainder of the game allowed at least one earned run. After nine innings of play, the Cubs secured a 14-10 win.

7 RBI for Christian Bethancourt and the @Cubs have stormed back from 7 runs down to take the lead 😱 pic.twitter.com/uwV9NhA47U

— MLB (@MLB) August 28, 2024

Skenes initially appeared to be in line for his ninth win of the year, although he ended with a no-decision.

The Pirates stayed at the bottom of the NL Central following the loss, falling to 62-71 on the season as a whole. Their bullpen has been one of the main culprits behind their place in the standings, owning the fourth-worst ERA among relief pitchers among all teams in the majors (via MLB.com).

Skenes has been a bright spot for Pittsburgh, posting a 2.23 ERA to go along with an All-Star appearance.

The Pirates will attempt to get back on track in their next game, a matchup with the Cleveland Guardians on Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET.

Oneil Cruz will be jogging to a different position for the time being.

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced on Monday, via Alex Stumpf of MLB.com, that Cruz would shift from shortstop to center field and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa would take over the shortstop position.

Derek Shelton announces that Oneil Cruz will be playing center with Nick Gonzales back. IKF at shortstop

— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) August 26, 2024

"I think as of right now, we're looking at him as a center fielder," Shelton said, per Schuyler Callihan of Sports Illustrated. "It's something that we've been talking about. It's not something that we took lightly. He's an unbelievable athlete. We feel it's probably the best position for him and for the Pirates. We wanted to make sure we got a runway of games going into next year for that to be important. Excited to see him out there. I mean, this kid's a dynamic athlete and with the way that we're set up now we feel like that's the best thing for him."

Kiner-Falefa was previously at second base, but 2020 first-round pick Nick Gonzales will take over the position after being activated off the injured list.

Cruz has played 202 games at shortstop, 10 at designated hitter and one game in left field during his 215-game career. The stint in left field was just for one inning in 2022, but he also played in the outfield in spring training. He has made 24 errors at shortstop, which is second in MLB, and also has a dismal -9 runs saved in 2024.

The 6-foot-7 Cruz remains impactful at the plate, hitting .265/.324/.468 with 18 home runs and 63 RBIs. He is in the midst of his fourth MLB season, although it has been his first time playing more than 100 games.

Cruz will hope a shift to the outfield can help fix some defensive woes and that he can continue to develop alongside a young Pirates team.

Cincinnati Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz joined an elite club on Wednesday, becoming just the fifth player in MLB history to ever steal 60 bases and hit 20 home runs in a single season.

He reached the mark with this stolen base:

He's so fast, he makes fast people look not fast! 💨

That's 60 stolen bases for Elly De La Cruz! ⚡️

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/KTTigDyofI

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 22, 2024

Elly De La Cruz is the fifth player in MLB history to enter the 20/60 Club. pic.twitter.com/T2yGNOGm4o

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 22, 2024

Interestingly, three of the five players on that list—De La Cruz, Joe Morgan and Eric Davis—accomplished the feat while members of the Reds.

De La Cruz, 22, is fast becoming one of the most electrifying players in baseball. Alongside his 60 steals and 21 homers, he came into Wednesday night with 53 RBI, 79 runs and a .825 OPS in 124 games, alongside playing defense so smooth it had Snoop Dogg shook earlier this season.

Snoop Dogg is AMAZED by Elly De La Cruz 👀 pic.twitter.com/cefAGsrOsG

— MLB (@MLB) June 15, 2024

He's truly a special player.

A Cincinnati Reds legend is calling it quits.

Joey Votto officially announced his retirement on his Instagram account on Wednesday. While the Toronto Blue Jays signed him to a minor league contract in March, he never appeared in an MLB game this season.

That means he only played for the Reds during his 17-year career at the sport's highest level.

Wow.

Joey Votto just announced on his IG he’s officially retired from baseball.

The future HOFer is done. Cape hung up. #Reds pic.twitter.com/Nvmkt5KCzH

— Nati Sports (@Nati_Sports) August 21, 2024

Driving to the stadium right now. My Uber driver asked, "Are you a player?" I said, "No."

— Joey Votto (@JoeyVotto) August 22, 2024

Joey Votto has announced his retirement via his Instagram after 17 seasons, six All-Star selections, a Gold Glove, and 2010 NL MVP honors. 👏 pic.twitter.com/jFyhqIXLL8

— MLB (@MLB) August 21, 2024

Votto thanked his family and many of his teammates and coaches who helped him throughout his baseball career. He also reflected on his time in MLB.

"Toronto + Canada, I wanted to play in front of you," he wrote. "Sigh, I tried with all my heart to play for my people. I'm just not good anymore. Thank you for all the support during my attempt.

"Cincinnati, I've only played for you. I love you.

"Finally, to the MLB fans. You energized me with your cheers, I loved the boos, the trash talk, the moments where I broke a road cities moment, or was humbled on stage. I'll never forget, early in my career, my first time at Wrigley Field and the crowd standing and cheering toward my failure. I remember standing at the plate, smiling and thinking, this is my home. I belong here.

"I was myself in this sport. I was able to be my best self. I played this sport with every last ounce of my body, heart, and mind.

"Thank you for everything."

Votto first appeared in a game for the Reds during the 2007 season and hinted at what was to come by batting .321 in 24 games. From there, he became one of the best players in franchise history and built a resume that included the 2010 National League MVP, a Gold Glove in 2011 and six All-Star selections.

He led the league in on-base percentage seven times, including during his MVP season when he slashed .324/.424/.600 with 37 home runs and 113 RBI. That Reds team reached the playoffs thanks in large part to Votto's ability to anchor the lineup.

Never forget this Joey Votto moment 😭

(via @THEkeeganhaag)pic.twitter.com/mu3pcfuoEw

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 21, 2024

The 40-year-old ends his career all over the Reds' list of all-time leaders.

He is second in on-base percentage (.409), sixth in slugging percentage (.511), second in on-base plus slugging (.920), sixth in games played (2,056), fourth in runs scored (1,171), fifth in hits (2,135), second in doubles (459), second in home runs (356), third in RBI (1,144) and first in walks (1,365).

As he made clear in his message, Votto surely would have loved a final chapter of his career on the Blue Jays as someone who was born in Toronto. It would have been a fitting end and given the Canadian a chance to play in front of his home country's fans.

Alas, he is still one of the best players of his generation and will forever be beloved in Cincinnati.

And Cooperstown, New York, is likely the next step as he eyes the Hall of Fame.

The Chicago Cubs reportedly made a few changes that will bring some youthful energy to their bullpen.

According to ESPN's Jesse Rogers, the Cubs released relief pitcher Hector Neris after he was designated for assignment and cleared waivers.

Chicago replaced him by calling up pitching prospect Jack Neely, who was acquired from the New York Yankees at the trade deadline this season as part of the deal that sent Mark Leiter Jr. to New York.

Sean Leahy of Yahoo Sports pointed out that releasing Neris saves the Cubs money for the 2025 season. The right-handed hurler had a vesting player option for $9 million for next year that would've kicked in if he appeared in 60 games or finished 45 games this season. His departure from Chicago came after 46 appearances and finishing 33 games. With 37 games remaining on the team's schedule, there was a chance he would've hit those marks if he wasn't released.

Neris served as the Cubs' closer but struggled to find consistency this year. He went 8-4 with 17 saves, a 3.89 ERA and 44 strikeouts, but he also blew five saves and had a 1.52 WHIP, the second-worst mark of his career.

Neely was ranked as the No. 18 prospect in Chicago's farm system. Across 37 appearances this season between Double-A and Triple-A ball, he has a 2.42 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP and 76 strikeouts in 48.1 innings of work.

MLB.com's scouting report predicted that Neely could have a bright future in the majors, stating, "If his slider-heavy attack continues to work against upper-level hitters, he could help Chicago in the near future and eventually settle into a late-inning role."

The Cubs are tied with the Cincinnati Reds for third place in the NL Central with a 61-64 record entering Tuesday's series opener against the Detroit Tigers.

The Pittsburgh Pirates aren't interested in shutting down starter Paul Skenes as he nears the end of his impressive rookie season.

According to Ken Rosenthal, Stephen J. Nesbitt, and Zack Meisel of The Athletic, the Pirates have "no such plans" to shut him down and don't have a set innings limit on him either. One precaution Pittsburgh is "considering" is potentially shortening his outings, similar to Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet.

The Pirates' postseason chances are slim, as they own the worst record in the NL Central at 58-65. They sit 13.5 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers and 7.5 games back from the final wild-card berth.

One bright spot for the team has been Skenes, who has emerged as a star since he was called up on May 8. In 16 starts, he owns a 7-2 record to go along with a 2.30 ERA. He's averaging 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings and started for the National League in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game.

Paul Skenes has NINE strikeouts through four innings 🤯

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/eAL2oo4PG0

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) July 11, 2024

Skenes has already pitched 98 innings with the Pirates and also racked up 27.1 innings this season at Triple-A. During his final season at LSU in 2023, he totaled 122.2 innings.

Pittsburgh has been cautious with the length of his starts, as he was pulled following seven no-hit innings against the Brewers on July 11.

While Skenes reportedly isn't in danger of getting shut down, the Pirates will be careful with the length of each start as he wraps up his inaugural season.