While the stars of the Reds and Pirates duel, both franchises still have a long way to go

This year, shortstop Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds and centerfielder Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates were the third and fourth best hitters in the NL Central. There aren't many players in the MLB with that combination of power, speed and firepower.

Reds ace Hunter Greene and Pirates ace Paul Skenes were the two best pitchers in the division in 2024. There aren't many pitchers in the MLB with such a combination of speed, strikeout potential and presence on the mound.

De La Cruz and Greene and Cruz and Skenes are two of the best young double hitters any team has in the major leagues. They are definitely the two best double hitters in the NL Central.

And yet, the Pirates are 73-83 this season and the Reds are 76-81. On Sunday, the Reds ended their home schedule for the season with a 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh at Great American Ball Park.

“We have a lot of confidence,” Greene said. “Obviously we haven't accomplished what we could have accomplished this year. There's a lot of work to do in the offseason and spring training. We have to be ready for that.”

The stars of both teams showed their performance, but to get into the race for the play-offs, a team needs a lot more than two players.

Skenes started Sunday's game looking like the best pitcher in baseball, striking out nine batters in five scoreless innings. He mixed six different pitches, consistently worked his way into the lead and made the Reds' batters look foolish with unbalanced strike-three swings.

“He really dominated,” said Reds manager David Bell.

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As good as Skenes was on Sunday, he only started one game this weekend as a pitcher. In the other two games, the Reds beat the Pirates 15-4.

De La Cruz had four hits and four RBIs over the weekend, but was quiet in the series finale.

Greene started in the series finale on Sunday, returning after a month on the injured list due to an elbow injury.

In the first inning, Greene allowed a home run from Cruz that sailed all the way to the power stacks in center field. Cruz's home run went over the “Red Hits, Fan Wins Tundra” sign, which was a reminder of the raw power Cruz brings. But all year, the Pirates have struggled to build their lineup around Cruz. They didn't have enough firepower to start the season, and their attempts to bolster the lineup with two trade deadline additions failed.

Greene recovered and didn't allow another run, going just three innings while working on his pitch count, but Greene performed just as well as he did over the summer when he was still in the thick of the Cy Young Award race.

“It was exactly what we wanted,” Bell said. “Not a normal three-inning start. We didn't want to push him any further today.”

Both the Reds and Pirates have the foundations of their franchises in place, and when both teams struggled this weekend, they realized that neither team in the major leagues is a finished product.

Greene's return was part of an attempt to give the Reds some momentum heading into 2025. Even though Greene wasn't fully developed yet, the Reds hoped his return could have some intangible impact.

“It shows his commitment and how important these games are,” Bell said. “We know we're not playing for a playoff spot. But they're still very important. That's how it should be. Hunter has put in the effort and made sure he gets back on time.”

Despite taking the loss, Greene's return to the mound was positive. His performance was electric, his velocity stood out, and he struck out four batters while allowing just two hits.

Greene said he felt he owed it to himself and the team to return, and his comeback will also give him some more experience as a pitcher later in the season.

Next year, Greene wants to stay healthy all year long and pitch well into the postseason. Greene and the Reds all have a long way to go to reach that spot in 2025.

“It was important to get a message across to the young guys coming up,” Greene said. “I was one of those young guys who was constantly looking at the rotation in the big leagues and looking for inspiration, motivation and ways to get better. When the young guys are trying to figure out who they are as pitchers, what they need to get through a full season is important. That's not easy at all. It's important to get that message across. That's our job.”