Newest Reds excited to join team on edge of playoff race

“When I heard I was getting traded to the Reds, I was pretty excited,” Givens said before Thursday’s game. “I know a lot of the boys on this team and kind of grew up with most of them. I’m kind of excited to make this playoff push.”

Givens said he knew Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos when they were both in high school in Florida.

“To be on a team with familiar faces,” Givens said, “it’s always comfortable walking into a new clubhouse.”

Givens, who was 3-2 with a 2.73 ERA in 31 relief appearances with Colorado, struck out the side in a scoreless inning his Reds debut Thursday in a 7-4 victory against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Givens went from a team with the third-worst record in the National League (44-59) to one with the sixth best (54-49). The Reds face a seven-game deficit in the Central Division and a five-game deficit in the wild-card race as they play a three-game series on the road against the New York Mets (54-47) this weekend.

Givens should help a Reds bullpen that ranks 29th out of 30 teams with a 5.32 ERA.

The same goes for the two other new relievers. Cessa and Wilson made their Reds debuts Wednesday, combining for two scoreless innings in an 8-2 victory against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Cessa talked to reporters on Wednesday. He heard about the trade around midnight the previous night. He immediately realized it was going to be hard to get to sleep that night and that he wouldn’t have time to say goodbye to his Yankee teammates at the stadium in the morning. Still, he was excited for a new opportunity in a new league.

Cessa was 3-1 with a 2.82 ERA in 29 appearances for the Yankees this season. He moves to the Reds after six seasons in New York.

“It’s a good opportunity for me,” Cessa said. “In my personal opinion, you need to do your job when you’re pitching and don’t think about the results. For sure, you try to do a good job, but don’t try to think about it too much because it’s baseball and you need to stay day to day.”

Cessa signed with the New York Mets in 2008 as a shortstop but underwent left shoulder surgery in 2010 and switched to pitching — he’s a right-hander — in 2011.

“I think it’s the best change for my career, because you know it’s harder moving up in the league if you’re a position player. You have more of a chance if you’re a pitcher. I’m really glad to be here in the big leagues and stay with the Yankees for a couple years, and now to be with the Cincinnati Reds is awesome.”