Reds bring added confidence into brief series against Indians

CINCINNATI — After the Cincinnati Reds’ 1-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, AC/DC’S “Thunderstruck” pulsed throughout the home clubhouse. There was plenty to celebrate following back-to-back series wins against the Brewers and Chicago Cubs.

When the Reds entered their ninegame homestand last weekend, they admitted it carried some extra weight. They had a chance to change the outlook of their season before the AllStar break with seven consecutive games against the top two teams in the National League Central.

The Reds will play a two-game series against the Cleveland Indians to end the first half, but they feel like they are in a good spot. They entered Friday’s off-day 3 games out of first place, the closest they’ve been to the top of the division since April 11.

“We have meetings every day,” Reds outfielder Phillip Ervin said. “We just talk about playing together, staying together, having fun and having each other’s backs. Everything came together the way we wanted. We’re a really good ballclub, and everybody believes that.

“It was a good homestand for the team to just get back into a groove.”

The Reds were a season-high eight games under .500 and eight games out of first place on June 15. They were on the verge of watching their playoff dreams slip away before the All-star break. Since that low point, however, they’ve posted an 11-6 record over the past three weeks.

What’s encouraging to the players is they are finding ways to pick up one another. When the bullpen hit a rough patch, Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo combined to throw 17 scoreless innings during the final two games of the Brewers series. The offense totaled 14 runs in their two wins against the Cubs.

“This division is tough,” third baseman Eugenio Suárez said. “Everybody knows that. It’s not a secret. We play to win the division. That’s what we want. Play hard in all the games, try to catch the team in front of us first and then see what happens in the future.”

Bieber added to All-star team

Right-hander Shane Bieber will join Indians teammates Carlos Santana, Francisco Lindor and Brad Hand in the All-star Game on Tuesday at Progressive Field. Bieber, who will start Saturday against Cincinnati, is 7-3 with a 3.54 ERA in 18 games, including 17 starts. He has posted a 2.00 ERA over his past four starts.