Elite run prevention is keeping the Reds alive early this season

A lot of eyes were on the Cincinnati Reds at the start of the 2026 season. They were able to sneak into the postseason last year and have visions of doing the same again this year.

They signed Eugenio Suarez during the offseason, providing more of an offensive boost for the club. And while the batting average might not be where it needs to be, he does have two home runs and seven runs batted in going into Wednesday's matchup. 

The one who has stepped up early into the new season has been Sal Stewart. He leads the club with a .351 average, .468 OPS, and 13 hits. 

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Elite run prevention is keeping the Reds alive early this season

Stewart has been a major help to the team, sitting atop the NL Central with an 8-3 record. However, it is hard to ignore what the pitching staff has done up until this point. 

Even with the loss of Hunter Greene, the pitching staff has remained strong. They have made it tough for opposing teams to score runs, tallying just 32 runs so far, which is the fourth-lowest across MLB.

Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, and Brandon Williamson have come out firing, and the bullpen arms like Emilio Pagan and Tony Santillan have looked the part with four saves and four holds.

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer is impressed with the stable of arms, but sets the stage that more offense is to come soon. 

"They're not even getting 'just enough' offense, but that'll change. Eugenio Suarez, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer and TJ Friedl are better than they've shown, so the Reds only need to be patient."

If more offense is to come for the Reds, they could be quite a dangerous team. They could end up fighting for their first division championship since the 2012 season. 

More MLB news:

• Marlins are finally finding the power to match their elite pitching
• Low expectations aren't stopping the Cardinals from competing early
• Rays' bullpen woes could lead to the loss of a fan favorite player
• Athletics' pitching troubles have made a Gage Jump call-up inevitable
• Rockies' bullpen is thriving despite a massive early-season workload