The Cincinnati Reds own MLB’s fourth-best record despite scoring 11 fewer runs than their opponents.
The Reds lead the NL Central with a 13-8 mark, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers (15-5), Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres (both 14-7). Their record is better than every team in the American League.
So how is it possible that Cincinnati sports a negative run differential?
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It’s pretty simple. The Reds win close games and lose lopsided ones.
In fact, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Cincinnati’s 10-0 record in one-run and two-run games to start the 2026 season is a National League record.
MLB.com added that three American League teams have accomplished the feat: the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers, 1966 Cleveland Indians and 1946 Boston Red Sox.
The Reds picked up their 10th close-game victory on Saturday, April 18, in Minneapolis. Cincinnati trailed the Minnesota Twins by two runs on three separate occasions before rallying for single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to pull out the 5-4 victory.
“I don’t want to get too carried away, but I love our competitiveness and the will to keep playing,” manager Terry Francona said. “And guys pick each other up.”
The Reds started their close-shave shenanigans in the opening series. After dropping a 3-0 decision to the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day, Cincinnati earned two one-run wins.
Since then, Francona’s team has three 2-1 victories and another trio of 2-0 wins. The squad’s most lopsided victory is an 8-3 triumph earlier this week over the San Francisco Giants.
The 2-1 and 2-0 scores point to two big reasons for Cincinnati’s tight-game success: good pitching, especially relief pitching, and poor hitting.
The Reds’ relief corps leads MLB with a 2.31 ERA, more than a half-run better than the second-place Braves.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati offense ranks last in the major leagues with a .203 batting average. It is tied for the bottom with the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets with 71 runs scored. The Royals and Mets are both 7-14.
The Reds and Twins close out their series at 2:10 p.m. ET Sunday.