A former Cincinnati Reds general manager isn’t giving the team much of a chance this week in their National League Wild Card Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Reds became one of the best stories in baseball over the last month. After it looked like they were headed to a fifth straight season of not reaching the playoffs, an epic collapse by the New York Mets and some big wins against them in September helped get Cincy back in the postseason this year.
Now, they move on to a tough series against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the Wild Card round of this year’s MLB playoffs. While that seems like a daunting task, despite adding several star players in the offseason, LA won five fewer games this season and looks a bit vulnerable heading into this three-game series.
However, it seems that the Reds’ hot play in recent weeks doesn’t matter to one-time GM Jim Bowden, and he does not expect an upset in their Wild Card series against the Dodgers.
“Yeah, in 1995 we made it to the NLCS. I was actually the GM back then,” Bowden said on Foul Territory when asked about the last time the Reds won a playoff series. “And by the way, they’re not going to win a series here either. So I’ll be able to say that again next year as well.”
Jim Bowden gives Cincinnati Reds a backhanded compliment
After his harsh take about the Reds’ chance against the Dodgers, the man who was the GM of the club for 11 seasons did compliment the skill of skipper Terry Francona. Especially since he doesn’t seem to have a ton of respect for the playoff potential of Cincy’s current roster.
“Let’s give Terry Francona all the credit in the world. He’s a future Hall of Famer for a reason,” he began by saying. “How did he get that lineup into the playoffs? I know they have good, young starting pitching. I’m a big Elly De La Cruz fan. I love the development of [Noelvi] Marte. He shows you flashes.
“TJ Friedl gets this team going. [Spencer] Steer is a really good extra player, but at the end of the day, how does this lineup get into the playoffs? Really? I’m looking forward to the series. Anything could happen… Perhaps we could have a miracle, and something happens.”
Unsurprisingly, the Reds — the final team to secure an MLB playoff spot– don’t have great odds to go far in October. They have 1.5% to win the World Series this fall, and have +2000 odds. Both are the worst among all the postseason teams.
