© Kareem Elgazzar Cincinnati Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos (2) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during an intrasquad scrimmage, Wednesday, July 15, 2020, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

The opponents for the Demons five home games are: Incarnate Word, September 3. Nicholls, September 12. Houston Baptist, September 26. Sam Houston State, October 17. McNeese, November 14. Jason Pugh Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Northwestern State University 318-357-6467 office 318-663-5701 cell pughj@nsula.edu. The game is an evening one, which will make how those of us who aren’t at the ballpark take in the event quite a bit different, too. Once again – Embrace the weird. Last year the Detroit Tigers were the worst team in baseball. It wasn’t even close. The Tigers won 47 whole games.

There were a lot of disappointed teams in the National League Central as none of the four clubs who made it to the postseason advanced past the first round – and combined for only one win.

Offense was an issue for everybody. The Cincinnati Reds went scoreless in all 22 innings. The Milwaukee Brewers scored two runs in their two games and the Chicago Cubs scored one. The St. Louis Cardinals scored 16 runs in their first two games but were shut out in the decisive Game 3 of their series against the San Diego Padres.

Read some of the statements made by executives at their end-of-season press conferences:

Game 318: July 24 2020 The Initials Game On

'We definitely will have the coaching staff looking, re-evaluating their messaging to the players, their approach to the players,' Dick Williams, the Reds’ president of baseball operations, said Friday, 'because at the end of the day, we want those guys to get more hits.'

Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein said Monday: “We can’t continue to run the exact same offense, the exact same group of guys out there and expect better results. I think the best way to approach this is acknowledging that we’re at a period of a real transition.”

Milwaukee Brewers president David Stearns added: “It wasn’t good enough. That’s the reality, and we have to work backwards off that. We begin with a premise that there is something in there that is explicable, that through our work and our research and our time, we can understand why.'

The Pittsburgh Pirates are the lone rebuilding team in the division. The Reds hope the 2020 season will serve as a building block for next summer. The Cubs have their core group of stars nearing free agency. The Cardinals and Brewers are trying to figure out how to move from playoff contender to World Series contender.

Here’s a look at where the four playoff teams stand entering the offseason:

CINCINNATI REDS (31-29)

Regular season offense: .212/.312/.403 with 243 R, 90 HR, 239 BB, 87 OPS+.

Free agents: SP Trevor Bauer, SP Anthony DeSclafani, SS Freddy Galvis, RF Nick Castellanos*.

The biggest priority for the Reds in the offseason will be fixing their offense. They finished with an MLB-low .212 batting average and the third-fewest runs per game (4.05), disappointing numbers after they committed nearly $150 million to sign Mike Moustakas, Nick Castellanos and Shogo Akiyama last winter. Castellanos holds an opt-out clause if he wants to return to the free-agent market.

'All teams are really good at defensive positioning and can hit into bad luck at times,' manager David Bell said. 'Why did that happen for us? We just have to really take a close look at it. We did all year. Yeah, we absolutely do believe in our guys, we made adjustments as much as we possibly could. But we have to find a way to get better.'

CHICAGO CUBS (34-26)

Regular season offense: .220/.318/.387 with 265 R, 74 HR, 229 BB, 90 OPS+.

Free agents: SP Jon Lester, SP José Quintana, SP Tyler Chatwood, RP Jeremy Jeffress, RP Andrew Chafin, 2B Jason Kipnis, OF Cameron Maybin.

It will be a defining offseason for the Cubs with Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, José Baez and Kyle Schwarber entering the final year of their contracts. “Is it an end? No,” Epstein said. “Is it clearly a period of transition and crossroads? Yes.”

The Cubs started with a 13-3 record, so there was a lot of frustration in the way they played in the final month of the season before they were swept out of the postseason by Miami. The Cubs hit .220 as a team, including a franchise-low .210 at Wrigley Field, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“We can’t be the same exact type of offense and expect better results,” Epstein said.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (30-28)

Regular season offense: .234/.323/.371 with 240 R, 51 HR, 205 BB, 90 OPS+.

Free agents: C Yadier Molina, SP Adam Wainwright, DH Brad Miller, C Matt Wieters.

It’s hard to imagine a Cardinals roster without Molina or Wainwright, but that’s a possibility this offseason. The Cardinals had a unique season with the number of seven-inning doubleheaders they played, but their offense again ranked near the bottom of the Majors.

They have some young talent, especially in the outfield with Dylan Carlson and Lane Thomas, but they’ll need more offensive production next year. “We’re not satisfied with our season being over in the wild card,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Let’s make that perfectly clear. Nobody in that clubhouse is satisfied.”

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (29-31)

Regular season offense: .223/.313/.389 with 247 R, 75 HR, 221 BB, 88 OPS+.

Free agents: OF Ryan Braun*, SP Brett Anderson, Eric Sogard*, Jedd Gyorko*.

The Brewers backed into the postseason, but Christian Yelich had the worst year of his career and Lorenzo Cain opted out early in the season. They don’t have as many holes to fill as they usually do in the offseason, holding club options on Braun, Sogard and Gyorko.

'We also have to recognize that there are so many aspects of our game this year that were different, that ascribing too much weight to this particular season has dangers as well,' Stearns said. 'Offense wasn’t great in our division. It could be that our division had some really good pitching, which I think it did.'

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Improving offense will the focus for Cincinnati Reds, National League Central teams

There were a lot of disappointed teams in the National League Central as none of the four clubs who made it to the postseason advanced past the first round – and combined for only one win.

Offense was an issue for everybody. The Cincinnati Reds went scoreless in all 22 innings. The Milwaukee Brewers scored two runs in their two games and the Chicago Cubs scored one. The St. Louis Cardinals scored 16 runs in their first two games but were shut out in the decisive Game 3 of their series against the San Diego Padres.

Read some of the statements made by executives at their end-of-season press conferences:

'We definitely will have the coaching staff looking, re-evaluating their messaging to the players, their approach to the players,' Dick Williams, the Reds’ president of baseball operations, said Friday, 'because at the end of the day, we want those guys to get more hits.'

Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein said Monday: “We can’t continue to run the exact same offense, the exact same group of guys out there and expect better results. I think the best way to approach this is acknowledging that we’re at a period of a real transition.”

Milwaukee Brewers president David Stearns added: “It wasn’t good enough. That’s the reality, and we have to work backwards off that. We begin with a premise that there is something in there that is explicable, that through our work and our research and our time, we can understand why.'

The Pittsburgh Pirates are the lone rebuilding team in the division. The Reds hope the 2020 season will serve as a building block for next summer. The Cubs have their core group of stars nearing free agency. The Cardinals and Brewers are trying to figure out how to move from playoff contender to World Series contender.

Here’s a look at where the four playoff teams stand entering the offseason:

CINCINNATI REDS (31-29)

Regular season offense: .212/.312/.403 with 243 R, 90 HR, 239 BB, 87 OPS+.

Game 318: July 24 2020 The Initials Games

Free agents: SP Trevor Bauer, SP Anthony DeSclafani, SS Freddy Galvis, RF Nick Castellanos*.

The biggest priority for the Reds in the offseason will be fixing their offense. They finished with an MLB-low .212 batting average and the third-fewest runs per game (4.05), disappointing numbers after they committed nearly $150 million to sign Mike Moustakas, Nick Castellanos and Shogo Akiyama last winter. Castellanos holds an opt-out clause if he wants to return to the free-agent market.

'All teams are really good at defensive positioning and can hit into bad luck at times,' manager David Bell said. 'Why did that happen for us? We just have to really take a close look at it. We did all year. Yeah, we absolutely do believe in our guys, we made adjustments as much as we possibly could. But we have to find a way to get better.'

CHICAGO CUBS (34-26)

Regular season offense: .220/.318/.387 with 265 R, 74 HR, 229 BB, 90 OPS+.

Free agents: SP Jon Lester, SP José Quintana, SP Tyler Chatwood, RP Jeremy Jeffress, RP Andrew Chafin, 2B Jason Kipnis, OF Cameron Maybin.

It will be a defining offseason for the Cubs with Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, José Baez and Kyle Schwarber entering the final year of their contracts. “Is it an end? No,” Epstein said. “Is it clearly a period of transition and crossroads? Yes.”

The Cubs started with a 13-3 record, so there was a lot of frustration in the way they played in the final month of the season before they were swept out of the postseason by Miami. The Cubs hit .220 as a team, including a franchise-low .210 at Wrigley Field, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“We can’t be the same exact type of offense and expect better results,” Epstein said.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (30-28)

Regular season offense: .234/.323/.371 with 240 R, 51 HR, 205 BB, 90 OPS+.

Free agents: C Yadier Molina, SP Adam Wainwright, DH Brad Miller, C Matt Wieters.

It’s hard to imagine a Cardinals roster without Molina or Wainwright, but that’s a possibility this offseason. The Cardinals had a unique season with the number of seven-inning doubleheaders they played, but their offense again ranked near the bottom of the Majors.

They have some young talent, especially in the outfield with Dylan Carlson and Lane Thomas, but they’ll need more offensive production next year. “We’re not satisfied with our season being over in the wild card,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Let’s make that perfectly clear. Nobody in that clubhouse is satisfied.”

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (29-31)

Regular season offense: .223/.313/.389 with 247 R, 75 HR, 221 BB, 88 OPS+.

Free agents: OF Ryan Braun*, SP Brett Anderson, Eric Sogard*, Jedd Gyorko*.

The Brewers backed into the postseason, but Christian Yelich had the worst year of his career and Lorenzo Cain opted out early in the season. They don’t have as many holes to fill as they usually do in the offseason, holding club options on Braun, Sogard and Gyorko.

'We also have to recognize that there are so many aspects of our game this year that were different, that ascribing too much weight to this particular season has dangers as well,' Stearns said. 'Offense wasn’t great in our division. It could be that our division had some really good pitching, which I think it did.'

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Improving offense will the focus for Cincinnati Reds, National League Central teams