Trevor Bauer pitched the Cincinnati Reds to a victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night, a huge win for the team as regular season winds down.

Bauer allowed one run over eight innings, striking out 12 and walking just one. The Reds entered Thursday's action as the seventh seed in the National League.

When asked if he's done enough to win the NL Cy Young, Bauer said: "I don't know how you could see it any other way."

He leads the NL with a 1.73 ERA and is the only pitcher in the league with 100 strikeouts.

Cincinnati Reds president Dick Williams expressed confidence in David Bell and his coaching staff Tuesday, but added that he would be "extremely disappointed'' if the team failed to make the playoffs.

The Reds dropped to 18-24 despite entering the season as one of the favorites in the National League Central.

"I would be extremely disappointed if we don't make the playoffs,'' Williams said, "and I'm sure the players, staff, ownership, you know everybody had high expectations for this season. There's a third of it left, just about, and it's time to get out there and perform."

Heading into Tuesday's action, the Reds were last in the majors with a .237 batting average on balls in play.